


The Omega Omnisphere's Mightiest Pokemon Master

by FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum



Series: Ash 1M Series [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/F, F/M, Multi, Omnipotence, Open Eternal Bond, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:28:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 178,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23224018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum/pseuds/FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum
Summary: Amourshipping/Semi Harem story with an OC; features omnipotent Ash with Pokemon raised to a level of infinity. All Chapters now officially edited and updated, feel free to re-read at your leisure guys.
Relationships: Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Original Female Character(s), Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena
Series: Ash 1M Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669816
Comments: 3





	1. Prologue: A Plane Ride of Memories

_Dedicated to my friend and fellow Fanfiction reader Shadowlord1295_

_Warnings: Violence, gore, epic battles, character death, lemons, passionate lovemaking, and nudity, discretion is strongly advised_

Prologue: A Plane Ride of Memories

A new journey was always a welcome thing to any seasoned traveler of any sort or variety. That change of pace, the new sceneries, new faces, new companions and friends, and above all, new Pokemon; these things were probably the only constants in an ongoing, eight year Pokemon journey, and seeing all there was to see in the world was part of what made traveling it so much fun. But as the age old saying went, all good things had to come to an end; and for one particular Pokemon trainer, one like no other, his end was near.

For Ash Ketchum; time was one luxury he did have; in fact he had all the time in the world, eternity itself stretched ahead of him. Unfortunately, an eternal being like him was considered a violation against nature, and the world just wasn't big enough to keep him from unveiling its most devastating secrets or soaking up all the information it kept concealed, either in the sands of time, in recorded material, or within the minds of every person on the planet. Eventually, Ash would run out of things to do in this world, and then he would have no choice but to move on, find new meaning to his now eternal life and absolutely immortal existence.

He had traveled through Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and most recently Unova, having made many friends and captured nearly every Pokemon recorded in the national Pokedex. Yet despite training those Pokemon to truly godlike heights and making them the supreme paragons of their species, Ash found himself feeling unsatisfied, his longing for competitive battles that presented a suitable challenge to him like an impossibly insatiable thirst.

He supposed he could blame the God Pokemon Arceus for cursing him with this mastery of all things Pokemon, and considering it had been a very influential meddler in Ash's life, he didn't think it had much right to resent this line of thinking. Not that he was dwelling, he had forgiven Arceus for its manipulations years ago; especially since some of the things in his life that spawned from his connection to Arceus and his legacy as its chosen champion were nothing short of fantastic.

Arceus was actually within speaking distance even now as Ash sat in a contemplative silence, aboard a plane bound for the Kalos region with his friend Alexa and one of his first human companions from back in Kanto, Brock from Pewter city. Having captured it and every other non Kalos legendary Pokemon save Ho-Oh during his epic voyage, Ash Ketchum had learned of his grand destiny and his role as Arceus's selected champion in full detail for the first time, in a place that existed outside of everything; causation, time, reality, space, and all planes of existence, the Hall of Origin, a place that was safe even from a total event collapse capable of wiping out infinite universes and timelines.

' _What the bloody hell is the Omega Omnisphere?'_ Ash had demanded rather brashly, having just realized what he was seeing and what he was hearing wasn't just a dream, or some kind of weird after-effect from his final bout with Team Galactic and his capture of Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and the Lake Trio earlier that day.

Having defeated Cyrus in battle, Ash, Cynthia, Dawn, and Brock had been taken for a loop when the leader of Team Galactic summoned both reality-warping deities in an attempt to create a universe in his own twisted image. It had been quite the rude awakening for the two of them to be summoned and shackled by the red chains, with the original powers forcing them to do as Cyrus commanded.

Just when the lake Trio and Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Cynthia had been about to fight back, Spear Pillar darkened and Giratina entered the fray as well, taking Cyrus with it into the reverse world and breaking the red chains' influence on the other two members of the creation trio. Realizing Cyrus could escape if he defeated Giratina; Ash jumped in after them, followed by the lake trio and then the other three who made up Team Galactic's only opposition.

After beating Cyrus again in single combat and capturing Giratina, Ash found the Griseous orb lying in a long forgotten part of the reverse world and when he made his way back, he had been surprised to find the lake trio also offering him their allegiance, but having grown accustomed to legendary captures in recent years, Ash no longer gasped outright in shock when this sort of thing happened.

Cynthia though, was practically salivating at the mouth by this point, and while Dawn was expressing her own form of awe and wonder Brock merely shook his head and muttered 'only Ash.' He got more than even _he_ bargained for however, when they returned to normal space-time in Spear Pillar and found Dialga and Palkia waiting for them as well, offering Ash the chance to take the two of them on in a double battle and capture both, not an easy feat for any trainer, even one as infinitely accomplished as Ash himself.

Deciding to use his two most trusted partners for this fight, Ash battled the remainder of the creation trio with his two fully trained starter Pokemon Raichu and mega Alakazam, capturing both of the Sinnoh Region's legendary trios in a single night, a grand total of six legendary Pokemon in the span of a few hours, a new personal record for him.

It seemed that Ash would become unstoppable at that point, Dawn and Cynthia both couldn't wrap their heads around the sheer enormity of everything that happened, no trainer in all of history had ever captured as many legendary Pokemon in a single night as Ash did, let alone _those_ legends. It had been a very late hour when they arrived in Hearthome city to rest for the night, the day's events had caught up to them and even Ash's seemingly infinite energy had been thoroughly exhausted, his body powering down and going into sleep mode.

For the first time in a long while, Ash was surprised by what happened next, awakening still in his pajamas in a place he thought the actual existence of to be impossible. All of his Pokemon were still attached to his champion level team belt, all 30 of them including his six most recent captures. Cynthia had given Ash permission to keep the Adamant, Lustrous, and Griseous orbs, since he was the only trainer on earth to have ever captured the entire creation trio or any of its three members for that matter, she had determined that their respective orbs would unlock their full potential and maybe someday bestow them with almighty examples of their ability to control all time and space.

Yet despite his initial thought that his sudden materialization into the Hall of Origin was a dream, Ash's almighty spiritual and psychic powers told him the truth. He could feel the ungodly, otherworldly presence this place and its only inhabitant literally radiated, the celestial platform around him and Raichu incandescent with a boundless brilliance of shimmering lights and heavenly powers. At the center of the hall, where all of totality itself seemed to be centered, stood none other than Arceus in all of its divine glory.

Not knowing whether to stand or bow in respect, Ash was surprised when Arceus told him not to kneel, saying that they stood here as equals. The Pallet town wunderkind was gobsmacked upon hearing this, in spite of all the powers he possessed; as a psychic, a master of aura, chi, and Mana as well as Pokemon battling, Ash did not think himself a god, especially not one equal to _the_ god, the omnipotent, omniscient creator of everything in the entire Pokemon universe. He had also been surprised to find that this wasn't the same Arceus he met in Michina town, but rather its father, the original one, the first of its kind in the One Millionth Pokemon universe and a being of ultimate godhood.

"There is far more to reality than just the Pokemon universe Ash, and though I freely control all things within and beyond my universe, I am _not_ responsible for the creation of it all. Only one Being can truly take credit for the creation of the Omega Omnisphere, though for the sake of discovery and the continued pursuit of understanding the complexities that make up the nature of existence, I need not reveal the Source Power behind and beyond all things," Arceus had spoken as though knowing exactly what Ash had been thinking, which of course it did.

"The Omega what," Ash questioned in a stupor, still feeling somewhat dazed from the life-altering course of events that transpired only hours ago and now having to stand here and listen to all this with slight sleep deprivation. Even with his absolute intellect and mental capacity, Ash was barely keeping up, and this whole situation with the Hall of Origin and Arceus had an overpowering sense of surreality to it, which didn't help matters.

"The Omega Omnisphere," Arceus repeated patiently, evidently aware that its guest still needed time to fully wake up. "What the bloody hell is the Omega Omnisphere?" Ash demanded, his patience waning as the Alpha Pokemon merely continued as though it hadn't been so rudely questioned only seconds before. Clearly it was far calmer than the Arceus he met in Michina town, because its patience with Ash was astonishing to him.

"The Omega Omnisphere is the largest thing forever conceptualized or imagined by any and all minds. It is absolutely everything and anything imaginable, unimaginable, seen, unseen, perceived, unperceived, fictional, nonfictional, read, unread, written, unwritten, stoppable, unstoppable, infinite, finite, possible, impossible, an infinite number of other things, and absolutely everything beyond that. It is every universe; alternate reality, multiverse, omniverse, God-verse, every level of reality, every plane of existence, and every realm. It is every endless chain, endless hierarchy, and every creation. Put simply it is _everything_ , and absolutely nothing exists outside of it by definition," Arceus started, and both Ash and Raichu gawked at it with slacken jaws, their eyes widening as their minds tried to process the absolute absurdity of the concept the God Pokemon was conveying to them.

"So, what you're saying is that there are other universes, alternate realities and the multiverse are real?!" Ash questioned, finally recovering from his shock as his absolute intellect took over, his brain processing information at a boundless rate. Arceus nodded its majestic head, the equine being standing perfectly straight at the center of the hall of origin, the void between and beyond realities upon which they stood illuminated by this place. As far as normal space was concerned, they were only a couple of miles above Spear pillar, but the laws of time and space didn't apply here, and Ash was beginning to grasp this fact.

"Yes Ash, there are infinite universes and alternate timelines. There are infinite multiverses and even infinite Pokemon multiverses, this Pokemon multiverse alone contains an equally endless chain of parallel worlds, each with its own take on the one millionth world's history and the people that make it up. For every alternate reality, there is a parallel, nigh omnipotent version of you and every major human and Pokemon character, all of them baring certain similarities and resemblances to the others but distinctly different as well. Some are virtually omnipotent gods, others are normal human trainers who have mastered the art of Pokemon battling on an infinite level, no matter what though, our indigenous Pokemon multiverse contains Pokemon trainers far more powerful than any other multiverse in all of creation," Arceus explained with excruciating simplicity, Ash and Raichu exchanging glances several times throughout this conversation.

"So everything is actually real, even what one watches on the television or sees in movies, everything that is fictional in our world could be real in another?" Ash asked, and Arceus nodded once again, clearly impressed that the boy wasn't lost or confused. Despite his ability to comprehend insane and even limitless possibilities, Ash's entire worldview was slowly expanding beyond the confines of his Pokemon world, though whether it was expanding into something tangible or an infinite nothing remained to be seen.

"Okay so, that's all fine and good, I can accept the existence of parallel worlds and even wholly separate multiverses, but surely you didn't summon me here only to discuss the existence of infinite realities and worlds beyond our own," Ash pointed out, and he could have sworn he saw Arceus smile despite the fact it didn't have much of a mouth.

"You're right Ash; I called you here to discuss a matter of great importance. I am actually going somewhere with the Omega Omnisphere theorizing so just bare with me for a second, or ten thousand years, depending on how time decides to flow in this place. You have amassed great powers; aura, mana, chi, and psychic abilities on an infinite level, you have trained alongside your Alakazam from your father and your Lucario to master these abilities, and you are assimilating ultimate power as a Pokemon trainer, you even managed to calm every raging legendary Pokemon, including my own fellow Arceus. Haven't you ever wondered why all these extraordinary things keep happening to or around you, why you've been caught in the center of every legendary Pokemon battling in the last six and a half years, why you've experienced near-death countless times and managed to escape it unscathed, why you have managed to the earn the respect of and capture Pokemon most humans can only dream of? Why do you possess the most limitless spiritual and psychic powers of any human throughout history? Doesn't any of that intrigue you, haven't you always wondered why Ash Ketchum?" Arceus spoke, its all-powerful voice echoing through every fiber of Ash's being, resounding inside his mind and enveloping him with the hidden promise of answers to questions he'd been asking himself his entire life.

"Are you seriously telling me I finally get to find out why, that I will finally understand?" Ash choked out, feeling like this was a dream come true and yet wondering what the catch was. "Yes, but be warned boy, what I'm about to reveal to you will end your worldview and open you up to infinite possibilities. To understand what I'm about to tell you, you need to do something first, you need to believe in the logically impossible, can you do that?" Arceus replied enquiringly, though Ash sensed it already knew the answer.

He and Raichu didn't even hesitate, the electric mouse Pokemon having kept silent until this time but letting its voice be heard now. "Yes, tell me everything, please I have, no I need to know," Ash nearly pleaded while Raichu jumped off Ash's shoulders and onto the crystalline surface of the one place in all the universe where they could talk in complete and utter privacy. "Raichu, Rai," it shouted eagerly, happy beyond measure that its trainer would finally understand everything that had happened in his life so far, pleasing Arceus with its utter devotion to its trainer.

Arceus sighed, "Somehow I knew you'd say that, now bare with me here Ash. The first thing I need to tell you is why all those things happened, you remember the prophecy on Shamouti Island about the Chosen One, about how you were the only one who could save mankind from the rampaging titans of fire, ice, and lightning? That Chosen One title of yours was not a onetime thing, you are the Chosen One, my handpicked champion, a true legend among your race and even the other legendary Pokemon," the Alpha Pokemon started, dropping the first of what would be many bombs that night as Ash tried to keep from bolting with outright shock.

Setting aside his initial reaction of pure dismay, Ash quickly reasoned this out in a logical fashion, letting his mind go over everything he had seen, done, heard, and what not since setting out on his journey. It made sense, all of it, and knowing his journey and all the incredible things he'd seen were the result of an all-powerful being that boggled the mind made for a pretty easy way of explaining things, even if he was slightly miffed at Arceus for meddling with fate and basically controlling his destiny.

Arceus seemed to sense where Ash's thoughts were heading because it sighed. "I know you must think of me as a meddler, and I wouldn't blame you. Nearly every major event in your life, whether good or bad, was caused either directly or indirectly by my interference, but I have my reasons Ash. You could have rejected the situations I handed you, the things life handed you, but you chose to run headlong into danger and put a stop to every obstacle the universe could throw at you, you could have run from your fate, but you instead chose to take charge of your own future and for that I am more proud than I can say," Arceus admitted ruefully, and Ash nodded in understanding, unable to truly hold a grudge as was part of his nature.

"Despite what you may believe, I never once interfered with your free will or your freedom to choose. Interfering with free will is expressly forbidden and omnipotent beings like myself have some self imposed rules and limitations that we must abide by, only breaking our own personal rules in matters of the utmost urgency. Had you chosen to reject your fate I would not have tried to stop you, I may have been disappointed and even somewhat hurt but ultimately the decision was yours," Arceus spoke with genuine sincerity and Ash believed him.

Raichu glared daggers at it however, and Arceus felt somewhat nervous that the legendary electric Pokemon might not accept it amongst Ash's group of Pokemon. It planned on joining his team, tonight, but only once it told him everything he needed to know. It was genuinely surprised by Ash's acceptance, the boy was handling this much more maturely than Arceus probably deserved, but it wasn't about to look this gift Rapidash in the mouth.

"So you say I'm your chosen Champion, what for, is there a battle I must fight on your behalf or something?" Ash wondered, and Arceus's eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter, surprised at how accurate Ash's guess actually was. It did need him to battle on its behalf, but not yet, and certainly not against any normal Pokemon trainer. Unfortunately there was much more to Ash's predetermined destiny than just winning battles and defeating every evil organization that came crawling out of the woodwork.

"Yes, I do need your help with that Ash," it said, confirming Ash's suspicions while it paused before continuing. "But not yet, there are things you still need to know, and powers you still need to master. Here you are safe, but everything that has happened during your journey at this point is just the precursor to what's coming, and before this night is through I will have told you everything and joined your team of Pokemon, I ask that you keep me on your roster at all times from here on out, for reasons I will now explain," Arceus responded, and it did explain everything.

As Ash sat there on the plane while everyone else aboard it slept, he reflected upon everything the most all-powerful Pokemon had told him. Now Ash knew he was the one millionth incarnation of Ash Ketchum in his native multiverse, and now dubbed himself Ash Ketchum One Million. He also knew what that name was based off of, and realized it was Arceus's own way of poking some cross-dimensional fun at DC One Million's Superman Gold Prime.

It was also because this realm was numbered by inter-dimensional travelers as the one millionth version of the Pokemon universe, and though there were countless Pokemon worlds, some of those people still believed they could number all of them, but Ash knew the truth now. Arceus had explained that he was among the most powerful incarnations of Ash Ketchum and would become one of the mightiest Pokemon masters the Omega Omnisphere had ever or would ever see.

Ash had always been very open-minded to even the most absurd ideas and notions, but what Arceus was suggesting seemed ludicrous even to him. He wasn't even the most powerful Pokemon master in _this_ universe yet, that title belonged to his all-powerful father Fredrick Ketchum, yet Arceus expected him to believe he would become the most omnipotent Pokemon master in all of totality, it sounded absolutely ridiculous and was probably just a very bold claim at the most.

Yet here he stood on this plane, with a champion level team of 30 all-powerful Pokemon, all the power in the Omega Omnisphere coursing through his now beyond human body. That night in the Hall of Origin had lead to the most epic changes in Ash's life. Aside from controlling any and all spiritual and psychic powers on an infinite level, Arceus had awakened Ash's true potential inside of him and rendered him omnipotent in every sense and aspect.

Ash could do everything and anything a fully trained Arceus or Mew in the Ultra-Verse could do, he could create absolutely anything from out of nothing, he was a master of all magic in the Omega Omnisphere, could create, control, and delete any and all super powers on a boundless level, amplify any and all special abilities to infinite levels, control the Omega Omnisphere itself and totally manipulate absolutely everything and anything, including logic allowing him to freely redefine what was possible and impossible. He could even tap into the power of transcendent meta-omnipotence and achieve the intrinsically impossible, including things that contradicted his own nature or the nature of other omnipotent beings. He possessed an infinite arsenal of powers and abilities, every super power, magical power, every form of magic, every nigh omnipotent power, every reality-altering power, and all of these powers and more were at absolute power levels.

"You are the personification of omnipotence, grandeur, perfection, sublimity, immensity, and transcendence Ash, you are among totality's mightiest beings and can do absolutely everything and anything no matter how impossible and contradictory," Arceus had told him, adding to the already impressive list of world shattering revelations that night as Ash kept telling himself this was impossible and could not be true. He had to be dreaming, or hallucinating, yet no matter how his skepticism tried to rationalize this he knew in his heart of hearts that this was all too real, he was everything Arceus said he was, and he needed to accept this irrationality.

Sitting on the plane in the middle of the night gave Ash's sleepless mind and body a lot of time to reflect and ponder, his Raichu was fast asleep in his lap and he would have loved nothing more than to follow its lead but he couldn't stop thinking about that day and about what came next. The powers had seemed extraordinary at first but as time went on Ash began pondering the meaning of it all, time and again he was reminded of the alleged pointlessness of an omnipotent existence, during his journey through Unova he had tried to hide it from his new friends Iris and Cilan like he had promised Arceus but they could sense his growing depression and his inability to escape what he now was.

The good news was, he was able to achieve any impossible feat including creating limitations for his own powers, but the bad news was he was forbidden from manipulating logic and stripping himself of them entirely. Knowing the rules he now abided by, Ash remembered when Arceus first listed them to him, at the time he was still getting used to everything he could do.

"Whilst traveling the world with your new powers there are four main rules you _must_ abide by. Number one is _never_ interfere with the free will of any species under _any_ circumstance, number two is that nobody but the people you love and trust the most can know you are pretty much God, trust me you don't want that kind of attention. Number three is no resurrecting the dead except in the most extreme circumstances, like total event collapses or any other equally omnicidal phenomena, in such situations you can use your powers to restore reality and all life to their natural states. This is very heavy stuff Ash, I'm not making these rules up for shits and giggles you know, absolute power absolutely corrupts all but the best of us and if you're not careful you could be the most dangerous and powerful weapon of mass destruction the world has ever or will know," Arceus had started lecturing Ash about these new rules, with the Pallet town prodigy and so called mightiest Pokemon Master only half listening at the time.

"Yeah I got it, no free will tampering, telling people about what I can do, or resurrecting the dead, what else?" Ash had said in a bored tone, though looking back on it now he wondered if he should have taken it a bit more seriously. "The last major rule is no manipulating logic or achieving the conceptually impossible except in any end of the Omega Omnisphere circumstance."

"How come," Ash questioned, feeling intrigued upon hearing this. Arceus's voice resonated telepathically through Ash's mind from its master ball in response. "Because logic is the basis of nearly all phenomena in the Omega Omnisphere, and tweaking it even the slightest bit when you don't know what you are doing can herald unimaginable catastrophe. You don't want to be the one responsible for breaking logic altogether do you, the damage to the fabric of reality then would be pretty much irreparable," Arceus answered with deadly calmness, catching Ash's undivided attention for the first time and causing him to shudder in response.

With everything set and Ash's omnipotent deification concluded, he and Raichu had battled Arceus in the hall of origin for the chance to capture it, but even with the help of his mega Mewtwo from Mount Kayna, his starter mega Alakazam, and the now fully trained Mew he met on New Island, Ash only barely managed to capture the already fully trained Arceus and even then only with a master ball. It was infinitely more powerful than the Arceus from the Jewel of life situation, and Ash had yet to use it in any official battles, despite the fact it had been over a year since he caught it.

Since setting out on his journey, Ash had captured 648 different species of Pokemon, fully evolving and training all of them to level 100. He captured every non Kalos Pokemon, legendary or otherwise except for Ho-Oh, whom he wanted to save for last since he saw it first out of the all the legends. He felt like it was lucky to go in that kind of order, plus it gave Ash yet another reason to backtrack to the other regions once again and hopefully drag out his journey a little bit longer.

He captured all the giant Pokemon he ever encountered, including the giant Dragonite from near Bill's lighthouse, the giant Tentacruel, the giant Alakazam, Gengar, and Jigglypuff from Pokemopolis, the latter of which had evolved into Wigglytuff while the giant Alakazam and Gengar could mega evolve. He captured the Ghastly from Maidens Peak, and it became his fully trained mega Gengar now, with limitless hypnotic and psychic powers, it was capable of creating eternal illusions capable of trapping the entire world population forever.

He also captured the crystal Onix and evolved it into a crystal Steelix, making Brock absolutely jealous whenever Ash mega evolved it into the most beautiful mega Steelix the rock type specialist and former Pokemon breeder had ever seen. He had captured every pseudo legendary, including the shiny Metagross from Sinnoh and a shiny Salamence from Hoenn after battling Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four to a tie.

Each and every one of these Pokemon were fully trained, along with every one of Ash's starter Pokemon such as Charizard, Sceptile, Infernape, etc and every legendary Pokemon he ever captured. He caught Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia from the incident on Shamouti Island, as well as two Mewtwo and Mew, two Darkrai, two Zekrom, Reshiram, and a few other legendary Pokemon he captured duplicates of.

The Mewtwo could both mega evolve into both of their mega evolved forms and were the ones from the Decolore islands and mount Kayna. The second Mew he captured was shiny, it had watched over him since he was a small boy and having saved his ass more than once throughout his journey, it was his most recent legendary capture. He also caught all five Genesect from the Decolore islands as well as Kyurem and the four swords of justice, on top of that he caught Reshiram, Zekrom, and the Unovian storm trio from Giovanni when the leader of Team Rocket attempted to control them and take over Unova.

In short, Ash had captured every legendary Pokemon he ever encountered throughout his journey, and fully trained them to infinite heights with the exception of one. ( _Author's Note: if you want full details about the mechanics of my Pokemon universes and the powers of fully trained Pokemon, read what I wrote down in my bio page if you're all that bothered_ ) All that was left to him now was to conquer Kalos and capture all of its amazing Pokemon; having read up on Kalos native species and all the notable people that lived there, Ash was more than adequately prepared to start his new adventure.

Now 18 years old, Ash Ketchum One Million was a legal adult as far as the world was concerned, with jet black hair as messy as it ever was concealed underneath a new variant of his Pokeball logo cap, this one being blue instead of red. Aside from the hat preference though one wouldn't recognize him as the boy he once was just by studying his attire. He now sported a white muscle shirt that showed off his perfect pectorals and six pack abs, with a metallic golden infinity symbol embroidered conspicuously on the chest, the symbol of Arceus branded there for all the world to see clear as day. He still wore faded blue jeans but inscribed were some magical symbols only he could see that invoked and powered a boundless nullification spell, limiting some of his more blatantly visible and obvious powers including his supernatural attractiveness and his otherwise infinite skill level in all fields. Anything that people could notice just by looking at him was either rendered invisible to mortal eyes or limited to a manageable level.

He didn't limit his flawless indestructibility or his physical, mental, or spiritual capabilities, but most people wouldn't know he was bullet proof or heat proof or impervious to all forms of damage unless they actually intended to do him harm, in which case he could just disable them and modify their memories. His footwear consisted of black woolen socks and equally black runners, though with a miniaturized version of Arceus's infinity symbol inscribed on the tongue of each one. The only other things he had on him was his leather Pokeball belt which contained his full champion level team and a special backpack of his own making. Not only was it completely heat and abrasive proof, it was also nigh indestructible and enchanted to hold his infinite supplies and provisions, including his infinite number of Pokeballs, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Master Balls, his infinite canisters of Pokemon food, berries of every kind, and all the keepsakes from his journey. The packsack also held an infinite supply of clothes, various almighty weapons and artifacts he conjured in case of emergencies, infinite amounts of non perishable food items for him, and his Pokedex. His backpack was enchanted to accommodate all these items and the inside contained an infinite amount of space, much to the chagrin of all known laws of physics, but Ash didn't care about that anyways.

His flawlessly handsome face still had those z-shaped scars he kept since birth, and his eyes were the same as ever, amber colored and filled with raw determination and supreme intelligence. He wore his mega bracelet on his right wrist and a black leather Pokemon ranger's jacket hung unzipped over his white tea shirt, his mega bracelet and x-transceiver partially concealed on his wrists. He also had a Pokenav Plus with all the features, including the new prototype features only champions like Steven Stone and the Pokemon G-men had access to. He could use the Dex Nav feature to scan entire routes for any sign of the best wild Pokemon, though his powers and his legacy as Arceus's Champion rendered this feature unnecessary in his case, since every capture he made was essentially the best they could be. Still, it was nice to have a back up means of seeking out new Pokemon and he promised himself to make full use of it when he arrived in Kalos.

He had his wallet in his right pant pocket, with a bank card containing his now limitless Pokedollar funds, both from his Pokemon league championship winnings, his winnings from every major battle he ever fought period, and his ability to create infinite amounts of anything he already had and even create stuff from nothing. He was already set for life, could eat wherever he wanted, afford absolutely anything and everything, but he didn't really care much about all that since he was always travelling. Still, it was nice to be able to spoil his friends and treat them to a really nice dinner every once and a while. His backpack and everything contained in it was just one of the many secrets he now kept from his friends. Even Brock didn't know everything, he knew about Ash's aura and psychic powers and even that he was the Chosen One once upon a time, but he didn't know about Ash's ascension to ultimate godhood in recent years, though that was pretty much the only thing he didn't know at this point.

His backpack's enchantments were only accessible by him and to anyone else it was just a normal backpack with a normal number of items within them. His keepsakes and other items could be summoned to him with just a thought; otherwise they stood buried in the bottomless chasm of his own personal pocket dimension, one that existed outside of absolutely everything including space and time. His backpack would survive Armageddon, though if he had anything to say about it then what's coming would never succeed with its plans to unleash infinite chaos and destruction.

Arceus had eventually informed him of what he was selected as champion for, and he listened while it explained its history and origins in further detail than it had to any other human before in all of history. Apparently all gods, even the omnipotent ones, had what was known as an antithesis, an opposing entity with powers equal to the creator. These direct opposites sometimes took the forms of demons or god slayers, but with the omnipotent deities, it was far more extreme.

The only evil entities that could match the might of an omnipotent being were transcendent Arch-Demons and Primordial Voids. Primordial Voids are basically the deepest essences of darkness, chaos, evil, and destruction, a literal Anti-God or the Antithetical opposition to any supreme deity or representation of a supreme deity. In Arceus's case, Ash was horrified to discover there was a being called Omninoir, the Anti-God Pokemon as it was known throughout eternity, a being powerful enough to threaten infinite universes and realities, that wielded a destructive variant of omnipotence and could obliterate the entire omniverse with but a single thought.

Destined to oppose one another and embody both sides of the coin, Arceus and Omninoir represented the perpetual conflict between all good and evil throughout totality, but neither entity yielded in the slightest and unfortunately the battling waged on without end and without decisiveness, the risk of them unleashing an omnipotence paradox getting increasingly higher as they continued fighting. A power struggle between two beings, both of whom were supposed to be the supreme power, was a paradox capable of tearing a massive hole in reality and swallowing the entire Omega Omnisphere, but Omninoir proposed that there were other ways they could settle their rivalry, ways that wouldn't require them to butt heads and destroy all of existence. Sufficed to say, Arceus had reluctantly agreed to hear his lifelong enemy out.

Omninoir proposed a chess match of sorts, one that spanned the entire Ultra-Verse and would let them select champions to battle each other on the behalf of both beings. Arceus agreed, and the ongoing clash of wills began. The two separated for the time being to select their champions carefully, and while Arceus was busy shaping the one millionth Pokemon universe and everything in it, Omninoir was busy using his powers in an effort to become the Omniarch of the Ultra-Verse, his name inspiring terror throughout infinite times, universes, and realities.

Upon hearing this, Ash felt true fear for the first time in all his life, having never been very good at feeling anything for anyone save friendship or the love he had for his Pokemon. His own personal emotional spectrum consisted of absolute willpower and that was pretty much it. Ash One Million lead an almost totally intellectual existence throughout much of his life, and only one person had ever succeeded at changing that, so it wasn't every day he felt afraid or gave into his emotional side.

Growing up with a mother determined to teach him everything he needed to know; Ash learned how to cook as well as Delia Ketchum herself and was taught all the proper decorum, proper table manners, and how to respect women. Ash was well aware of the opposite sex his whole life and though countless women throughout his journey offered him everything from lust to fame, glory, fortune, sex, and even true love, Ash just couldn't seem to muster up any romantic feelings for any of them. No girl had ever been able to sway Ash's heart, none except one, and Ash smiled fondly as he remembered a cute girl with a straw hat, a pink sundress, short honey colored hair, and cerulean orbs that could have put Reshiram's blue flare to shame.

He had been deeply, madly, irrevocably enamored with his best childhood friend Serena Yvonne ever since the day he met her, and despite all the friends he made and all the hearts he'd broken along the way, he just couldn't bring himself to turn his feelings for Serena off, even though he very easily could now. Watching her move away and having to live with the idea of never seeing her again had broken Ash's heart, and strengthened his resolve to harden himself and live an intellectual existence all the more. He never liked human emotions, they were messy a lot of the time, and with the powers he had now he could easily command himself to stop feeling anything at all. For most humans it was impossible, but for him it was a simple as thinking it and willing it to become reality, and he constantly felt the temptation to just eviscerate his entire emotional spectrum. Initially he had been all for it, but upon reflecting and pondering he ultimately decided against it. For better or worse his human emotions were the only thing tying him to his humanity right now, and Serena had been the one person in his life who could make him feel beyond simple friendship or the familial ties he shared with his Pokemon, mother, and the Oak family.

He supposed his mind was getting off topic, but with a virtual omniscient knowledge base locked away in that mind he knew that was to be expected. Aside from possessing infinite raw power, Ash was also bestowed with nigh-omniscience, not the full scaled version since Arceus said perfect knowledge would eliminate the thrill of discovery entirely. Ash had full awareness of any and all other dimensions and often made cross-dimensional references and jokes in recent years, jokes that had his many friends utterly confused by his eccentricities. Because of its utopian nature, the one millionth Pokemon world had next to no awareness of any dimensions outside of itself, and though television shows and movies existed in this world as well, they mostly involved people or Pokemon of the distant past or in somewhat fictional settings. There were movies made about the adventures of people who encountered legendary Pokemon but none of the real classics like DC movies, Disney shows, and other realms Ash only knew about because of his near limitless knowledge.

Ash had a constant mental awareness of virtually everything and anything in the Omega Omnisphere, he sensed what every person on this plane was dreaming about right now, what every Pokemon felt while sleeping, and Brock's perverted fantasies becoming a reality while snoring right next to him. He could pinpoint every blade of grass, grain of sand, and every creature on the planet and beyond, he could sense every alien life form, every civilization across countless realities, and was aware of every person, heartbeat, thought, feeling, and sentient life form in the Omega Omnisphere. His mind was constantly inundated with an endless stream of visions and infinite information, something that would short circuit any normal human mind, but Ash's brain was designed to handle all of this and he was usually able to put it all in the back of his head, though it was still enough to drive him half mad most of the time and crazier than a shithouse Ratata the rest of the time. Now was one of those times where he was only _partially_ nuts, which was good for him really considering how much he had on his mind right now. In spite of his infinite perception and awareness, he was still limited by what he knew and understood, and contrary to popular belief he was not omniscient, at least not completely so. The thing about nigh-omniscience was that there was still the slightest room for error, for lapses in judgment or for making mistakes. In short, there was still the slightest trace of imperfect humanity left within Ash, and he planned on keeping it that way all the days of his life.

He could sense professor Oak in his lab all the way in Kanto, his mom and Mimie sleeping in their bed, all of his Pokemon at the lab and on his current team and all the powers they radiated, and could even sense every one of his friends and traveling companions far and near, across time and space. The one person he wasn't able to sense was also the one person he wanted to most of all, his best childhood friend had flown completely of his radar the moment she left him, but Ash knew he was now closer to her than he had been in over a decade, so close he could practically taste it.

Maybe that was why he was so reflective this particular night, the only noises being the snoring of passengers, the wind turbulence of the plane, and the constant whirring sound that accompanied a long flight. Ash could have made it to Kalos in an instant if he wanted to, either by riding one of his Pokemon or through his own powers, but he wanted to enjoy and savor the last stretch of his Pokemon journey as best he could, after all this was the last region in all of Pokeearth and he wanted his anticipation to build to a crescendo at the prospect of seeing Serena again in her native region, having kept her memory alive by fighting every one of his battles in her name, never forgetting that true friendship never dies as he once told her.

Another limitation he created for himself was no cheating shortcuts for his Pokemon training, and though his new powers enabled him to train alongside even his fully trained legendary Pokemon, that was where he ended it. He would _not_ under any circumstance use his powers to fully train all his Pokemon in an instant, for the same reason he didn't use Mew, Arceus, or Victini to do it for him, he wanted to work for it. There wasn't any point in mastering the art of Pokemon battling on an infinite level if he took the easy way out in any way, shape, or form; and his Pokemon all seemed to respect and understand that immensely. In recent years Ash's drive and determination had soared to new heights, nobody could ever say that Ash Ketchum One Million did things half assed or took the easy way out when he became what the Omega Omnisphere expected him to be, and as far as Pokemon training and battling was concerned, he was at best on par with the regional champions even now.

He had barely managed to beat Lance both times he battled him, and the Elite Four had pushed him and his team to their limits as well. The first time Ash went all the way in a Pokemon league was back in Kanto when he was only 11 years old, having obtained all 27 Kanto gym badges instead of the usual eight most trainers went for and using those gyms to fully train his A-team at the time. His Raichu, Alakazam, Venesaur, Blastoise, Charizard, and giant Dragonite had been pitted against Lance's champion team, though due to being limited to six Pokemon at the time, Ash and Lance had to battle each other with the standard six Pokemon, but even then the battle still lasted for nearly a full 24 hour day.

Defeating Lance's fully trained mega Gyrados, mega Garchomp, mega Salamence, mega Altaria, mega Charizard in its Y form, and finally his Dragonite had been one of the toughest matches Ash had ever fought to this day. Lance had been absolutely floored by the appearance of Ash's giant version of his signature Pokemon, the two fully trained Dragonite staring each other down without so much as an ounce of fear or hesitation, the only difference between them being the difference in size. In the end, Ash's Dragonite barely managed to pull out a win, and was left with it, his Raichu, and Alakazam all feeling worse for wear while his Charizard, Blastoise, and Venesaur had fainted.

Upon seizing victory and being offered the chance to run the Kanto Pokemon league as its new champion, Ash took the opportunity to televise his rejection of Lance's kind offer and admit he was going straight for the very top, the world championship like his father Red had done. Since his speech was being televised to all of Kanto and quite possibly beyond, Ash announced that his battle was dedicated to his best friend Serena, because although she wasn't by his side at that very moment he fought on with all he possessed in her memory, and in her name he intended to win it all, win the world championship itself and become all-powerful. He dedicated that battle and every other major one he fought to Serena, always to massive crowds so everybody would know just how much he cherished her, a feat he hoped she was able to see or hear about wherever she was. His speech from his Kanto league championship was still being played to this day; a constant reminder of the fact that Ash was the youngest champion level trainer in all of history, beating his own father who was the previous record holder, having conquered the Kanto league at 12 years of age, Ash was only 11 when he did so.

Ash and Lance's rematch in the Johto Pokemon league championship after Ash had beaten Gary and made it past the finals was even harder than their first bout, given the fact that both of them were using full champion level teams of 30 fully trained Pokemon, the battle lasted several days with intervals between each 24 hour bout, the shields around the stadiums reinforced by the Elite Four to prevent cataclysmic damage to the teeming masses of people, after which the battle would pick up where it left off regardless of any fainted Pokemon recovering, but Ash managed to win it despite both him and Lance being down to their final Pokemon. That battle was still the talk of Johto even to this day, nobody had ever beaten Lance's full team before except Red and sometimes Cynthia during any exhibition matches the two might have, but Ash had bested him _twice_!

In the years following his ascension to the champion level rank Ash constantly changed up his roster, the only constants being Raichu, Alakazam, and now Arceus. His starters would often help him train any new Pokemon he caught and any Pokemon that wasn't already maxed out. Right now Ash had both his mega Mewtwo, his silver Mew, Arceus, Raichu, Magic Bounce Alakazam, his giant Dragonite, along with the creation trio, primal Groudon, primal Kyogre, his mega Rayquaza, his mega Charizard, Venesaur, Blastoise, Sceptile, Lucario, Garchomp, Pidgeot, his Kyurem, Reshiram, Zekrom, his mega Latios and Latias from Altomare, the Multi-Scale Lugia from Shamouti island, his Victini, Snorlax, Infernape, and his giant Wigglytuff to complete his ensemble with the addition of the biggest fairy type Pokemon on earth.

All of these Pokemon were fully trained, with an infinite IV spread and their best abilities. Lugia for example had its exceedingly rare hidden ability of Multi-Scale, reducing the damage of attacks that weren't infinitely powerful to zero, so long as it had full HP. Given that Lugia had infinite HP, nothing short of OHKO moves would be capable of knocking it out or even reducing its health to a finite level. Endeavour and moves like destiny bond were capable of temporarily reducing the HP of fully trained Pokemon and even knocking them out, because that was just how they worked. It didn't matter how strong a Pokemon was, if it knocked out a ghost type that used destiny bond it was going down as well, there were very few ways to counter a move like that once its effect was activated, raw strength and power levels didn't mean anything in situations like that.

As for his other Pokemon, his Garchomp had rough skin in its normal form which dealt infinite damage to any opposing Pokemon stupid enough to touch it. His giant Dragonite had Multiscale just like his Lugia, and the creation trio had telepathy, enabling them to bypass any team member's attacks that may damage them as well, namely all-encompassing, omni-directional attacks like explosion, discharge, and other such moves.

His starter Alakazam had magic guard in its normal form of course, rendering it completely immune to any and all non damaging attacks and status moves, even the infinitely powerful ones of other fully trained Pokemon. Its trace ability in its mega evolved form was controlled by it so well that Ash could pick and choose which Pokemon on his team would transfer its ability over to Alakazam, even if they weren't on the battle field at the time. Such was its mastery of this ability that it could transform its special ability into any of the special abilities it wanted, expanding its trace ability to encompass the entire world and copy the ability from any Pokemon on the planet. Such was the power of a fully trained mega evolved Pokemon, especially one with as much experience as Ash's second starter, a gift he received from his father along with Raichu to start his journey off with a bang.

Raichu and Alakazam were both fully trained right off the bat, passing on their limitless experience to the other Pokemon Ash caught throughout his journey, and Ash himself had come up with super effective training regimens for all of them. Every single one of his Pokemon desired nothing short of ultimate power amongst their species, to become the zeniths of their particular breed of Pokemon, and they worked their asses off utilizing the militant training regimens Ash had them drill day in and day out. All of his Pokemon learned how to conquer all elements and all terrains, his flying and fire type Pokemon learned how to swim, his ground type Pokemon would swim thousands of laps in ice cold water to build up their tolerance to water and ice type moves. His ice types would bathe in the lava filled pools Ash had his Groudon create in the earth at professor Oak's lab, but his ice type Pokemon were only to use it when they were capable of keeping their cool even when suffering continued exposure to his fire types' various fire type attacks, when they had pretty much become immune to heat and could control absolute zero cold. His Pokemon would all spar with partners who had a distinct type advantage, letting them use moves that were super effective and taking the attacks point blank, all in an effort to build up their tolerance to it and become wraiths in the minds of their opponents, thus making utter fools out of the entire type matchup system. In short, his Pokemon were serious training freaks, to the point where it even scared him a little what they might get up to if he wasn't there to supervise.

Some type matchups were harder to get around though, fire on grass for instance and even water on fire, since most fire types would die when their fires went out and a lot of them kept their source fire exposed in the open. These were known as fatal weaknesses unlike psychic types getting hit with dark type moves or ground on electricity where it was more a question of being able to withstand physical pain. Fire types could easily kill grass types if they weren't careful and water types could completely douse fire types, these were known as fatal weaknesses and could easily kill.

The fire type against water issue was actually easier to solve and Ash devised an extremely effective method to make his fire type Pokemon utter monsters to their opponents. As he well knew, a large number of fire type Pokemon like the Charizard and Infernape lines had an external source of fire to power and heat their fire type attacks, on their tails, as a result they could die if they were left out in so much as a rainy day, water dousing their tails at all could cause their external fire source to go out and if that happened they were finished. With his genius, Ash came up with an unprecedented solution to this vexing problem, and all of fire type Pokemon now knew how to do it.

He got the idea from his continuous studies of fire types when he first learned of the Infernape line and how their external fire went out while they slept. Somehow they turned off that flare without loss of life, and that got Ash thinking about how almost all fire type Pokemon had that one trait in common. If it wasn't an external source of firepower, then the fire type Pokemon was only limited by the amount of training they did and the level they were at. All fire types had an instinctive fear of water for good reason, but some of them, namely the legendary fire types, were all but impervious to water type attacks due to overwhelming internal heat and the ability to manipulate their fire so well they could evaporate any source of water before it could even touch them.

One thing about water type attacks is that enough heat would make them evaporate, regardless of the strength of the attack or the amount of water pressure, water type attacks pretty much maintained the same basic properties and armed with that knowledge Ash set to work teaching his fire type Pokemon how to absorb their external fire source into their bodies and how to conquer their natural fear of water. For Charizard, this was easy since even as a Charmander it was always pushing itself to the brink of its abilities. Teaching Charmander how to absorb its tail fire into its belly instead would all but eliminate its water type weakness, so long as it didn't swallow any water while swimming, which Ash taught it how to do, much to the shock of professor Oak, his mom, and everyone else who saw his Pokemon in action.

He repeated this with every fire type he caught, and Charmander would often do demonstrations for him to prove that his methods did in fact work. Ash remembered the stunned looks on his Growlithe, Cyndaquil, and other fire types faces each time Charmander did this. Soon enough though, all his fire types were conquering the element of water and becoming legends among their species, his Infernape and other fire type starters were all fully trained now and pretty much immune to the element of water. Ash's Pokemon were slowly but surely turning the entire matchup system and all its rules upside down and inside out, they were terrifying to behold in battle and had begun to eclipse every one of their weaknesses and limitations.

Even his grass types could stand right in the epicenter of a firestorm so long as they retained their internal moisture, since science determined a plant full of water was less likely to burn, Ash had all his grass types drinking plenty of fluids and enhancing their health and nutrient levels to absolute levels. That being said, most of his Pokemon were not infinitely invincible, the only Pokemon that were truly omnipotent when fully trained were Arceus and Mew, and even they limited their powers enough so that they were still applicable to the type matchup system.

Looking back on it all though, Ash realized it wouldn't be any fun if his Pokemon had been unbeatable right from the start, having to work to become almighty examples of their species was part of what made training so much fun for him and his Pokemon. He wouldn't trade that bonding experience for anything, becoming the world champion would be pointless if he didn't do so through his own blood, sweat, and tears or those of his Pokemon. He was close now, so close to achieving his goal, and on this flight to Kalos, he had to wonder what came next. He supposed he would just have to search for a new dream when that time came, but the uncertainty of the future was as much a mystery to him as it was to any non omnipotent human being, especially since he severely limited any powers that could give him insight into potential futures. Ash didn't want to always know what to do, always know exactly what he needed to do in order to succeed perfectly at everything; there was no fun in facing the future when you knew exactly what was going to happen and how everything was going to go down. That uncertainty added to the thrill of discovery, and he wasn't about to change that, lord only knew what his friends would say if he suddenly revealed he could tell them all they would be and all they would face.

He was jarred from his reverie by Raichu adjusting its position on his lap while it slept, and Ash couldn't help but smile fondly at the orange fur ball who had become one of his best friends of all time, scratching it behind its long ears and earning a contented 'cha' from the Pokemon. Even before tapping into his aura and psychic powers Ash had always been connected to his Pokemon on a deeply quintessential level, always able to follow their thoughts and feelings and determine what they were trying to tell him, but now with his mastery of all spiritual and psychic powers he could actually translate their Pokespeech into actual human words, able to have full conversations with them without losing track of what they were saying. On top of that, Ash's supreme deification bestowed him with the power of Omni-linguality, bestowing him with the power to speak any and all languages in existence and perfectly understand them. He could speak any and all human languages, any animal, human, alien, or magical tongue in the Omega Omnisphere. He was as fluent in Kalosian French and Japanese as he was English, not to mention an infinite number of other tongues.

So speaking to his Pokemon was no longer a problem for Ash, and he bonded with them all the more tightly because of it, so at least there were some advantages to having all this power. His smile widened as Raichu curled up into an even tinier ball than before, moving further up Ash's lap and nuzzling its head into his stomach. As a fully trained Pokemon, Raichu technically didn't require sleep anymore than Ash did, due to its inexhaustible energy and strength, it could never sleep again if it didn't want to, but somehow it just couldn't bring itself to abandon certain old habits, like its complete and utter addiction to ketchup.

Another advantage to Ash's powers was being able to train and fight alongside even his most powerful Pokemon, to the point where he was seen regularly sparring with his fully trained Mewtwo in its mega evolved forms, a legendary Pokemon that was the ultimate fighting machine; capable of adapting to any and all battling styles in an instant, it was infinitely skilled in all fields of combat. It could also teleport itself and anyone else it pleased to any point in the Omega Omnisphere in an instant, possessing Omni teleportation powers enabling it to teleport absolutely anything to any point in totality, its only limitation to that power being it could only be in one place or time at once, since it wasn't omnipresent.

All fully trained legendary Pokemon were insane, Ash's Victini alone had abilities that would render his training regimens obsolete, and for that reason he didn't let it share its infinite energy with any of his other Pokemon, something they all understood for which he was extremely grateful. Victini's ability to share infinite energy could max out even the lowest level Pokemon and give them all the powers of a fully trained individual of their species, without any of the hard work and dedication involved in actually training them that high. It was one of the many reasons Victini was sought out by many criminal syndicates over the years, its ability would be the means to creating entire armies of all-powerful Pokemon in a matter of seconds. Ash made damn sure to catch it as soon as he could after seeing it, that way he could make sure nobody took advantage of its powers or those of any other legendary, he also felt personally responsible for ensuring nobody irresponsible ever cared for such a noble and legendary creature, because such Pokemon deserved so much better than that.

Upon thinking this, Ash immediately remembered the special Pokemon egg now sitting in his enchanted backpack to the seat beside him, the enchantments on his bag also protecting its contents from any attempt at thievery, since a lot of Ash's current belongings were valuable beyond measure. Inside was a Pokemon egg containing none other than a shiny Mewtwo, a Mewtwo he had created a mega stone for since Mewtwonite were extremely rare and any trainer would be lucky to have the Pokemon never mind the stone.

Initially Ash had been pondering what to do with this unborn Mewtwo, considering taking it under his own wing but unsure about that. He already had two mega evolved Mewtwo, both of which were fully trained, it wasn't like he needed anymore, not that he would ever abandon a Pokemon so rare or give it away to an incompetent or untrustworthy trainer. It was a dilemma he had been faced with several times in recent years. Legendary Pokemon had what was classified as an unknown gender, but in recent years Ash had discovered that they reproduce asexually and could alternate between both sexes at will, and since he was the only trainer to have captured so many legends he was the first trainer to discover this fact.

The baby legendary Pokemon were the same as any newborn Pokemon, except no second parent was required and the babies were almost always identical to the parents, aside from the occasional shiny which was basically the same concept as an albino Python being born in a litter of baby snakes in the nonfictional realities. Same concept really, both were rare but not unheard of, and with legendary Pokemon they were both the father and the mother of their children, taking on both parental roles.

All of Ash's legendary Pokemon had laid eggs at least once, save for Arceus who was truly one of a kind. Even his non shiny Mew had laid one egg, and Ash was beginning to worry he wouldn't be able to find trainers for all those unborn baby legends. He would get plenty of volunteers if he advertized them, but the majority of trainers were either unworthy of legendary Pokemon or just plain unable to handle them. He sent a private message to each regional champion asking them if they and their elite four would be interested, but had yet to get a reply from anyone aside from Lance, who agreed that he and his Elite Four would take any under their care that matched the types they specialized in.

Having joined the Pokemon G-men as its secret leader, Ash and Lance had forged a strong working relationship and often partnered up to deal with criminals in ways the Pokemon rangers often thought too extreme. Ash had a strict no killing policy and had yet to get any blood on his hands which Lance understood, having never actually been forced to kill anyone himself, they were both clean, however the G-men were licensed to kill if there was no other viable options, they were the Pokemon League's equivalent of double O agents in certain government branches in the continents. Despite his no kill rule, Ash wasn't opposed to ignoring the laws where obtaining a warrant and roughing potential suspects up was concerned, sometimes the justice system didn't work and the only way to get the proof needed to convict someone was to do things in an unconventional way. Interrogating suspects and ignoring certain rights were just some of the perks of being a Pokemon G-man, and Ash took his job seriously. The Pokemon G-men got results whereas people like the international police did everything according to what the law would allow, Looker was an exception to that line of thinking and because of that he was on outs with many of his superiors.

Being the world champion technically meant Ash's father was the secret leader of the International police, the Pokemon G-men, the rangers, and every other Pokemon league approved affiliation, so being the son of Red gave Ash a lot of pull with some very influential people and organizations, and if he wanted to, he could ask for any favor he wanted. Lance pretty much assured him he could ask for anything he wanted, and if it was within their power, the Pokemon G-men would arrange it for him. Ash actually had Lance on speed deal, both on his Pokenav Plus and his X-transceiver, not to mention Lance knew about Ash's psychic abilities and probably wouldn't be terribly shocked by Ash's telepathic voice suddenly echoing in his head, especially since he had dealings with the likes of Sabrina all the time and was pretty accustomed to the power of psychics.

Having all this clout didn't mean too much to Ash, but it was an effective means of keeping tabs on his friends and family and making sure they were safe. Despite being pretty much God now, Ash still cared very deeply about all his _human_ relations, in fact he was more tapped into the world and the people in it than he had ever been before. Being omnipotent just meant he had the power to care so much it hurt, to bond with people on an absolute, boundless level and forge connections that truly lasted forever. People naively thought that a life without end could have no meaning but they were wrong, it was the only life that could and though Ash had his ups and downs from time to time, he realized that would happen whether he lived for one lifetime or infinite lifetimes, and that all lives were worth living. Who said that life ending was what made it valuable, how did a person weigh or measure the quality of life anyways?! Sure his existence would diminish less powerful beings, and if he wasn't careful he could become absolutely corrupt by the strength he wielded, but that just meant he had so much to lose by lashing out at the people closest to him, more responsibilities to bear. It would be so easy to just snap his fingers and solve all of humanity's problems, to just take the easy way out every time he was faced with a difficult decision or situation, but with ultimate power, there came ultimate responsibility. Just because he had all the power in the Omega Omnisphere didn't give him the right to do whatever the hell he wanted and not suffer any consequences, who the hell was he to play God with everybody's lives, if he did any of that all he would end up with in the end was a Messiah complex and a lot of enemies.

The best way for him to use his gifts was to use them subtly, because if people knew the truth about him they'd swamp him with love one day and crucify him the next, it was just how humanity worked. The people on pedestals who disappointed the multitudes always wound up falling far from their ivory tower in the end, and make no mistake, disappoint them they eventually would. Being in a position of power and authority was incredibly difficult, and not everyone was going to be happy with your decisions, no matter how much power you had you couldn't please everybody, that was just how life worked, and brainwashing them into mindless servitude would only qualify as a dictatorship.

' _The wise leader punishes vice and rewards virtue, but as soon as he starts exhibiting signs of a dictator or doesn't have the best interests of the people at heart, that's when he becomes something ugly and inhuman, when he becomes a monster worthy of the Omnimalevolent primordial voids_ ,' Ash reasoned out internally, realizing how easy it would be for him to become just as much of a monster as the Anti-God Pokemon if he didn't proceed with extreme caution. Looking back on it now, he realized Arceus was right to impose these rules on him.

Still, he had to wonder how sticking to them would aid him in the impending war with Omninoir, and truth be told Ash was terrified. For all the powers he now possessed he had no idea would happen if a being on the same level of power as his own took aim at him. The universe's most unanswerable question was what would happen if an unstoppable force met an immovable object, but in Ash's own opinion literally anything could happen. Both omnipotent forces could potentially surrender on contact or unleash Armageddon; or any number of other situations, few of them good. There was also the potential problem of an omnipotence paradox boundlessly eliminating absolutely everything, and as evil as Omninoir was, Ash knew even he didn't fail to understand the folly of being a king without a kingdom.

Ash was worried he would fail, fail to stop the menace that Arceus itself couldn't beat. The problem with being able to achieve the conceptually impossible was that Omninoir could do things that hurt even Ash himself, maybe even destroy him entirely. He didn't know if it was possible to kill an omnipotent being but he didn't want to find out anytime soon. He wasn't ready to die yet, and frankly he could think of far worse things the Anti-God could do to him than simply killing him, such as targeting his friends. Despite being invincible himself, Ash's friends were anything but, and he wasn't sure how well he could protect them from someone who could do everything he could and had countless eons more experience at it, never mind engaging that enemy as well.

Of course, he had never actually been in a fight with someone on his own level of power before, and it was conceivable he was simply worried for nothing. After all, Arceus and the Anti-God were both unable to kill each other and they dueled each other for millennia at a time, only pausing their feud to trade words or to mock each others' inability to destroy the other. "My God, I have so much on my mind I don't even need my infinite cosmic awareness to drive me batty," Ash murmured under his breath, though not quietly enough to keep Raichu from stirring apparently.

The fur ball in question was currently twitching its ears as one of its eyes opened, its ultra sensitive hearing much greater than that of a normal human's, which was unfortunate for Ash really, or maybe not so unfortunate. ' _Can't sleep_ ,' Raichu said in Pokespeech, stretching and yawning as quietly as possible while Ash merely stared at him with quirked eyebrows. ' _You even have to ask, with our arrival in Kalos impending I guess I've just got a lot on my mind buddy, you needn't worry about me Raichu, at least not enough to interrupt your sleep,_ ' Ash said in a reassuring voice, hoping he sounded convincing, but to someone who knew him as well as Raichu, he might as well have been lying to his own mother, he might actually have been more successful with lying to her actually, especially in recent years as he continued traveling and with all the recent changes in his life.

' _Worry about you when you no longer require sleep? Oh please, what have I to worry about, my trainer has all the power in the universe and beyond and is almost as knowledgeable and perceptive as he is almighty, what do I have to worry about Ash?_ ' Raichu drawled sarcastically, and Ash hated it for knowing exactly what to say to get him to open up to it about his issues.

"It's just, I'm not sure what tomorrow is going to bring Raichu. For all my brainpower I haven't got a clue what comes next, or where to even begin. Should I start by dwelling on the fact that Kalos is the last place in all of Pokeearth I can go to before running out of places to travel, or should I worry about the prospect of meeting my best childhood friend again for the first time in ten years, knowing that I was so in love with her and never got a chance to say anything, having to consider the possibility that she may not even remember who I am anymore. On top of all that, there is this whole doomsday scenario with Omninoir and my destiny as Arceus's Chosen Champion impending, not to mention worrying about screwing up when up against an opponent who can do everything I can do. But no Raichu, even that isn't enough for the Omega Omnisphere apparently because I still have to focus on training my Pokemon, catching new ones, winning battles and preparing for the Kalos Pokemon league, which actually seems to be my lowest priority right now, which for me is unnatural. I'm just not sure how to cope with all I'm supposed to juggle here Rai, and I don't even have the slightest inkling of where to start or how to prioritize everything I'm dealing with right now," Ash admitted in one, superhuman breath, surprising Raichu with his lung capacity and shocking the mouse Pokemon outright.

It knew Ash was dealing with a ton of stuff right now but didn't know he was going through this much turmoil. Having all the powers he did was supposed to make it easier for him to deal with everything he was expected to do and achieve, but it seemed to be only adding to his problems right now and Raichu knew his trainer well enough to know when he was feeling overwhelmed. In spite of his genius, Raichu knew Ash's brainpower was a boon in this situation, coming up with at least a million different ways to address his shortcomings and limitations when dealing with everything he had on his plate.

"Oh, and I just remembered I still have to find suitable trainers for all my legendary Pokemon eggs still, where on earth am I going to find somebody qualified to train a Mew, or the creation trio, or Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza, all of whom have laid several eggs now in recent years. I can manage them if I must, but I'd really rather find a trainer who can actually dedicate all their time to raising these babies, who can help them reach their true potential, and Lance and his Elite Four can only take on so many new Pokemon to," Ash thought out loud, and Raichu sighed before climbing up onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzling him with its cheeks, sending a weak jolt of electricity surging through his trainer's body to calm him down a bit.

' _Ash relax, you need to stop torturing yourself. Look, you've got a lot on your plate, I understand that, but none of those things are tasks you have to complete right away, you can find enough time to work everything out in a healthy, steady manner. Nobody is expecting you to solve everything overnight, just relax okay?_ ' Raichu said insistently, sending more jolts of calming electricity surging through Ash's body, the lightning invisible to human eyes due to it not wanting to wake anyone right now. Ash needed to seriously calm down, it wasn't like he could get any of this done right now anyway, but he had plenty of time to worry about all that later. He wasn't doing himself any good going crazy over all this right now.

"How can you be so sure everything will work out?" Ash couldn't help but wonder and Raichu sighed, crawling back down into his trainer's lap. ' _Because you're my best friend, and I know you'll find a way to make everything okay in the end. I've seen you overcome impossible odds while dealing with normal everyday issues before, and I know you'll do so again. The only question you should be asking yourself is what on earth are you going to wear when you see your girlfriend again?_ ' Raichu chuckled with a teasing grin, causing his trainer to blush redder than a tomato berry.

"That probably worries me more than anything else, whether or not Serena still remembers me as fondly as I do her. It's kind of funny actually, in spite of everything that's happened since she moved away I still love her, and she's still my number one priority," Ash murmured mirthlessly, his heart rate increasing at the thought of seeing her again. During his travels, Ash had rejected Misty, May, and Dawn alike, all of them offering him their love but unable to sway his heart from the one girl who held it in her hands this entire time. It was sappy and he knew it, but Serena truly was the one that got away, and every battle he fought, whether with his own inner demons or with opponents on the Pokemon battling field, he did in memory of her. He hadn't gotten to travel with her like he originally planned, and when she left he lost all his motivation to pursue his dream, feeling like without having her there to cheer him on or watch him win there wasn't any point. It took a long time but he was eventually able to look back on what they had without completely breaking down.

Despite his resolve, he had sworn years ago that he would not be like his father, who put his career first, even before his own family, going so far as to leave them when Ash and his mom needed him the most. To this day Ash didn't understand why Red had left them, but one thing was for certain, when he met his dad again and the two of them battled for the world championship title the two of them would have words, and lots of them. Ash was no longer mad at his father for leaving, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to get some answers, if nothing else then for his mom and for Serena, who never could bring herself to forgive his dad for what he did, especially since her own father was guilty of the same thing.

He swore upside down and backwards that when he became world champ then that was it, he was finished with competitive battling. If by then he still hadn't reunited with Serena, he would devote his entire being to tracking her down and picking up where they left off, he owed her that much. Even if she didn't remember him and was with someone else, he promised himself he would always love her wholly and unconditionally. She had been his everything when they were kids, every morning he woke up was a morning worth waking up to because he knew he'd be spending yet another day with her, even with his daily workouts and studies he always made time for her, for the two of them to just play around and be a couple of normal kids.

Those were the best years of his life, and Serena made them the best. Meeting her in that forest during summer camp had been a true godsend, and he often considered Serena as Arceus's own personally assigned angel for his Chosen Champ. Even now, with him not knowing how she had turned out or what she was like nowadays, Ash was more excited and terrified than he had been about anything else before, and that was impressive considering the number of times he stared down death and disregarded his own safety to save a Pokemon in need or even save the entire world. Ash had saved the world a dozen times over, but to him Serena was his whole world, and if she didn't remember him, if she found someone else to take his place, he honestly didn't think he could see the point in going on. For that reason, he was terrified, and thanks to Arceus refusing to update him on what Serena had been up to these past years, Ash was going into this as blindly as a Zubat.

' _Ash I can sense you're close to losing it again, are you okay?!_ ' his Mewtwo from New Island and Mount Kayna suddenly interjected telepathically, startling Ash out of his reverie. Ash's signature reply of "I'm fine" was on the tip of his tongue before the voice of his Mew overshot him. ' _You need to relax like Raichu said, trust me when I say fate owes you big time and that the Omega Omnisphere has a funny way of working these things out for its heroes. If Serena was even half as fond of you as you were of her, then there is no doubt in my mind that she will remember you, you need to have faith,_ ' she mewed with concern in her voice, and when Ash was about to argue, that was when Arceus finally said something.

' _Ash, just go to sleep you worrywart, you don't want to arrive in Kalos with a heavy heart, something big is on the horizon and you need to sleep off your anxieties right now. Stop worrying about the future and just focus on the here and now, you can worry about Serena later, right now you need to focus on what's coming tomorrow and prepare as best you can. Nothing is certain, even the very wise cannot see all ends and agonizing over this is not amplifying your hero performance, not in the slightest. Now get some sleep, maybe with your mind's connection to everything in the Omega Omnisphere you'll come up with a solution to your problems come morning, but you'll never know for sure until you close your eyes and just relax,_ ' the Alpha Pokemon advised him firmly, but gently. Ash finally sighed in defeat, realizing he had been outvoted and knowing deep inside that his Pokemon were right. There was no use torturing himself over this, whatever happened tomorrow happened and he would just have to deal with it when it did. He may not have had the best confidence in the world that Serena would remember everything he did, but with everything they'd been through together and her powers of recollection, he was confident she would remember him in time, and even if it took her years, he didn't think he'd have too much of a problem reforging that connection even from scratch.

Finally allowing himself to feel moderately at ease, Ash closed his eyes and willed the realm of dreams to whisk him away to his happiest and most memorable times. His Pokemon all watched him fall asleep, each and every one of them knowing that the weight of the world, the Omega Omnisphere itself, rest on his shoulders. Such a burden was not something any one person should have to carry alone and in spite of their attempts to help him, Raichu and the others knew Ash would only willingly share his problems with the one closest to him. None of them knew this girl Serena personally, since she had left long before Ash began his journey and met any of them, but they had heard enough about her to have a pretty clear idea what she would have been like. No matter how she may have changed over time, they knew Ash would accept her no matter what, and when the time came for them to reunite, they all hoped amongst themselves that their trainer could learn to live once again, for living without love wasn't really living it was just sort of existing. Upon falling asleep all the worry and the burdens he bared seemed to melt off of Ash's face, and he was blissfully unaware that secretly his Pokemon were all planning to play matchmaker when he and Serena finally did reunite. If anyone deserved to be with the one they loved the most it was Ash, and by the gods they weren't about to let some Omnimalevolent demon or the fate of the world stop him from finding true happiness.


	2. The Much Anticipated Arrival

_Dedicated to my good friend and fellow Fanfiction reader Shadowlord1295, hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it._

_Chapter rated for violence, epic battles, and a severely injured Froakie_

Chapter One: The Much Anticipated Arrival

Dreams were often incredibly informative and a means to remembering that which one has long forgotten or buried in their subconscious. It was the mind's way of replaying everything it had learned or thought about during the day, and so much more than that to certain individuals. The nature of dreams often varied from universe to universe, from person to person, and could sometimes prophesize potential omens or immanent threats of disaster, like in the Percy Jackson universe, where demigods in it actually had very few regular dreams throughout their lives and often dreamt of potential futuristic disasters involving them in some way.

Due to his mind's link with all things in the Omega Omnisphere, all the above-mentioned possibilities and countless others often haunted the dreams of Ash Ketchum One Million. He could dream of any past or future event in any alternate timeline or universe at random, or even dream of entities about to threaten the totality of existence just in time to put a stop to it. He could even expand his dream self to encompass the entire Omega Omnisphere and attain temporary omnipresence and observe everything from a third person perspective while he slept. He also had countless sex dreams involving him and Serena, just to keep things semi normal in his completely abnormal teenage life.

Given the fact he had no idea what she even looked like nowadays, his infinitely intelligent and imaginative mind filled in the gaps for him, creating a futuristic version of Serena's whose beauty far surpassed that of any mortal woman and could even put the Greek Goddess Aphrodite to shame, this bodacious, drop dead gorgeous, adult version of Serena making love to him in his dreams. In his mind she had grown up to be flawless in appearance, with long honey colored hair, cerulean orbs as beautiful as he remembered and glazed over with pure love and lust, double d-cup breasts, perfect curves, full pink lips, a slim, strong, sexy waist, a perfect ass, etc, and somehow he wouldn't be too surprised if the real deal turned out to be just as attractive.

He conceded that he was creating this perfect looking image of her because of how highly he thought of her, and how perfectly cute she had been when they were kids, both in terms of her appearance and her shy, easily embarrassed personality. Since she had always been the cutest girl he'd ever known, now it seemed his mind was imagining her adult form as the most attractive, most beautiful woman in the entire Omega Omnisphere, and somehow whether she turned out to be as attractive as in his sleep or not, he had the feeling he'd always think of her as the center of his universe, the apple of his eye, or however people preferred putting it. Perhaps he was getting a little carried away, perhaps he presumed too much; and like that old saying went; beauty was in the eye of the beholder. He understood that while he may think the world of her, there were others who would not share his opinion or who may feel someone else was better looking. That was truly a fascinating aspect of humanity, even though they were interconnected spiritually and via the emotional spectrum, there was enough diversity between their mostly isolated minds to make each and every person unique.

Despite being prone to all these kinds of dreams and more, this time Ash's mind simply replayed events from last night and thought over all the many problems he was dealing with in this universe. His memories of the past had replayed themselves over and over in his head like a broken recording video. He remembered all the legendary Pokemon he had ever encountered, and the people who had been witness to those legendary battles and situations. He remembered all the names and faces of the people he befriended during those times; including Melody, Molly Hale, Lady Eileen, Kidd, the people of the water, Tonio, Alice, Kevin, Sheena, and all the other people who had bared witness to Ash's many legendary encounters.

The solution to one of his problems came to him in his dreams at least, and he realized those people would probably be able to handle the legendary Pokemon they had seen Ash battle or helped save the world with. Melody wasn't much of a Pokemon trainer, but Molly Hale was 15 years old now, having been 9 years old when Ash was 12 and visiting Greenfield. She had been almost old enough to start her journey, but the prospect of losing her father and mother was too much for the lonely girl to handle at the time.

Befriending the Unown and by extension Entei had given her something she desperately needed following her father's disappearance, friends to play with and someone to be there for her. Now though, she was on her Pokemon journey and last time Ash had thought to check on her she was doing quite well in the battling circuit. She was an elite level trainer and had captured every Pokemon she dreamed up during that incident six years ago now, with the exception of one of course. Entei was the only Pokemon she had yet to capture from that time, her Mantine, Kingdra, Ursurang, mega Ampharos, and Donphan were her five most commonly used Pokemon, yet despite her best efforts in Johto the legendary fire type continued to elude her.

A solution to his legendary problem literally came to him in a dream, and with his powers and the resources he now had, he would have more than what was required to reach her and other people he wished to contact and give legendary Pokemon eggs to. He had little doubt Molly would accept an Entei egg, which was laid by the shiny Entei Ash caught during the incident with Zoroark and Zorua. He could probably persuade her to accept the other two legendary dogs and maybe even a couple of other legendary Pokemon eggs he needed to part with.

The Mewtwo egg in his packsack he intended to give to Serena when he found her, along with the Mewtwonite he created for it. His dream self had given the matter a lot of thought while he slept, and he had the feeling that Serena would be the perfect trainer for this Hexa perfect, unnerve, shiny Mewtwo. A lot of the problems he was dealing with seemed to regard his best childhood friend, and Serena was the only person he knew on earth who he couldn't sense completely and perfectly, and virtually every power he used to track her current whereabouts failed him.

For all his attempts to track her down, she eluded his every attempt, his aura, psychic, and countless other abilities not availing him in the slightest. She threw him off with her complete lack of spiritual, emotional, and mental presence, it was almost like she existed outside of the Omega Omnisphere itself and was immune to all his nigh-omnipotent and even some of his omnipotent powers. Knowing what he knew about Serena and about the whole concept of Arceus's Chosen Champions, Ash wouldn't be too surprised if Serena actually did have the power to exist outside of everything. The best he could do was get a general location, but that was only enough for him to confirm she was still in Kalos which left a lot of ground to cover, but still, with all his powers, covering infinite amounts of ground was a piece of cake, and he'd do anything to see her again.

He wanted to reunite with her more than anything, but he was still unnerved by the prospect of doing so, and no matter how he may have solved his legendary Pokemon egg problem, he still had plenty on his plate to contend with. ' _Arceus was right though, so long as I relax and just stay focused on my journey and try not to overwork myself, I can deal with all these problems at a healthy rate. My supreme deification should aid in my ability to contend with these mighty tasks. So relax Ash Ketchum, and let your endless optimism flow through you once more_ ,' Ash told himself inwardly as he finally awoke to see a beautiful sunrise peering through the window to his right.

Almost everyone else was still asleep, but Ash knew there was at least half a dozen people using the bathrooms, twenty or so people feigning sleep in an effort to fall asleep for real, forty or so Pokemon simply lazing on their seats, on the floors, or in their trainer's laps, and one of the pilots and flight attendants were wide awake as well. The jumbo jet could carry several hundred people if it had to, and just as many Pokemon, though super heavy Pokemon like Snorlax were ill advised by the flight attendants to be let loose from their Pokeballs aboard the plane.

In his lap Raichu was just beginning to stir, as if it sensed that its trainer was awake and following suit. Brock was snoring to his right, and Ash tuned out the images of Brock's sex dream flashing through his mind and focused on Alexa. He noticed that she was actually wide awake and quietly scribbling in her notebook. Well quietly for her or any normal human, but Ash wasn't exactly human anymore. If he focused on her and her only, he could hear the constant scratching of her pen on paper loudly enough to give any mortal man a sensory overload, but to him it was just a mild irritant.

As Arceus explained, Ash's brain was hardwired in a such a way so as to handle an infinite amount of information, even if that information was uploaded into his mind in an instant, he could process it all at once. He could hear, see, taste, smell, and psychically sense almost everything and anything in totality, and was constantly aware of everything too, but even with all that information, he somehow managed to remain half sane most of the time.

Deciding to get a proper feel of the city they'd be arriving in and of Kalos itself, Ash closed his eyes and willed his infinitely vast consciousness to grant him access to the city of lights and see it without eyes. His mind expanded outside of his body and he saw himself sitting there on the plane like some out of body experience, his expanded mind encompassing the entire plane and moving beyond that. Ash's astral form was moving so fast towards Lumiose city and beyond the plane that it didn't localize, and existed in countless different places at once. He was now the space between, above, and all around every living thing on that plane, the cells on their skin and inside their bodies, and he was one with the air, the sea, and the land.

It was truly an amazing feeling, being one with the people of the world; every individual being was still deeply connected in more incorporeal ways. He was one with the entire world's emotional spectrum, able to tap into the thoughts and feelings of every person on the planet, he was aware of how every individual felt at this moment in time, how they typically felt around the people they knew or were close to, who they loved and hated most, and other such things.

Everyone in Lumiose city became as familiar to him in this state as his own best friends, their lives, experiences, and emotions melding with his own, yet not enough for him to lose his sense of self, which luckily, he never did. He could feel the psychic powers of every Espurr in every dark Alleyway; knew every person in Lumiose city by name and was aware of what each person looked like, what their intentions were, and every aspect of their individual lives, all of which were actually interconnected on a spiritual and emotional level, and right now Ash was one with that connection, he was the supreme force that bound them all together, the unlimited deity who controlled all of the Omega Omnisphere and was one with every being in it. Being all-powerful was amazing, but being able to control the emotional spectrum on an infinite level like he did was perhaps one of his favorite super powers, it afforded him with literally limitless emotional capacity, and though that sometimes hurt way beyond measure it was also what made him so deeply human in spite of all his non human attributes. There truly was no feeling like it, no way for him to accurately describe the intense experiences involved with tapping into all the positive feelings throughout eternity.

Satisfied with what he saw, heard, and felt, Ash was tempted to go further and become one with the entire planet and maybe even the entire Omega Omnisphere, but he had done all that before, countless times in his sleep, and though it was a truly indescribable experience, he didn't want to become hooked on it lest he lose the desire for a body altogether. He wanted to be in a single place and time, to live in the moment, and though that was a severely limited form of existence, Ash wasn't ready to give up the kinds of pleasures and joys only a corporeal body could provide.

His eyes snapped open as he returned to his own, nigh-omnipotent body, his infinite awareness deadening somewhat inside his mind but nevertheless always present, like a seductive temptress waiting to beckon him to a life beyond the confines of a single, human form. He no longer recalled the faces and names of the people he fused with quite as fondly, but the knowledge he gained was still as in depth as it was while he was outside his body tapping into the world, just a little more cold and intellectual.

Nobody except he and his Pokemon knew of his supreme apotheosis, and just as few people knew that his virtually omnipotent body was merely his avatar, an embodiment of infinite power. Even in the extremely unlikely and even logically impossible event that Ash's body was destroyed, he would instantly regenerate from the essence of his existence, which was an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent entity that encompassed the entire Omega Omnisphere and was a non religious analogue of its creator. Ash's true self was exactly as Arceus put it, he was pretty much indistinguishable from the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in between, much the same way Arceus itself was, or how Omninoir was a representation of Totality's Ultimate Anti-God.

Looking to his right at Alexa once more, Ash smiled as she put her notebook down and finally decided to check on him and Brock, her Helioptile still fast asleep in her lap as Raichu greeted its trainer with a happy 'cha.' Scratching his starter behind the head, Ash spoke aloud for the first time that morning, "hey buddy, hey Alexa, how'd you sleep? I slept wonderfully, gave my mind lots of time to work out some problems I was faced with during the night. Say did you ever hear of John Steinbeck, no of course you haven't, he's not exactly from around here. Anyways, he once said that ' _it is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it_ ,'" Ash quoted, causing the brown haired, green eyed beauty to eye him like he had grown a second head, and Ash merely sighed inwardly in disappointment.

' _Man, people in the one millionth Pokemon universe have no poetry it seems, at least not the inter-dimensional variety I've become accustomed to. I suppose it makes sense though, I mean I'm the only person on the planet who is aware of the existence of other worlds, other universes, and other seemingly fictional realities. Hell I'm even aware of my own seemingly fictional existence and the fact that my story is featured in some fanfiction in a distant world, but I digress. The point is, my world needs to get a taste of some cross-dimensional awesomeness, like I did that fateful day when I met Arceus_ ,' Ash mused as Alexa merely stared at him, wondering to herself if she'd ever figure the Pallet town prodigy out.

Every once in a while he seemed almost normal, but most of the time he seemed half mad and sometimes he even seemed totally Zubat shit insane. Traveling with him through the Decolore islands had been a very interesting experience for many reasons, one of them being his ability to attract danger and excitement to him like Venomoths to the flame, and his complete disregard for his own safety when helping out the various Pokemon native to the islands. Iris and Cilan had told her the story of what happened with them and Ash when they came face to face with five Genesect and a Mewtwo that could change its form, a phenomena Ash had called mega evolution. It was also then that Ash revealed that this wasn't the first time he'd seen a Mewtwo despite the fact it was a legendary Pokemon and few people ever saw it once, never mind twice.

In the time she had travelled with Ash he always had something truly fascinating to say, and he saw the world around him in a very unique way, quoting or citing things and people she had never even heard of or read about, a modern day miracle considering the amount of books she had read in her childhood. She had spent the better part of six months trying to riddle out the enigma of Ash Ketchum, and she still wasn't any closer than she had been when they first met.

His Pokemon all loved and adored him to pieces, but in battle they were truly terrifying to behold and made utter fools out of the type matchup system. Ash's training regimens seemed brutal and militant at the very least, in fact some people might have considered it a form of abuse if Ash wasn't so good to them and they weren't so committed to their trainer's particular brand of training. No matter how hard he was on them during their training, Ash never forced his Pokemon to do more than they were willing; nor did he fail to reward them for their effort. In fact, in the months Alexa had traveled with or happened across him, it seemed he and his Pokemon were connected on some other level.

Ash constantly displayed the uncanny ability to follow his Pokemon's thoughts and feelings, such was his ability to read them that Alexa could almost swear he was actually able to communicate with and completely understand what they were trying to say. When she asked him how he always somehow knew what they were saying, he merely shrugged and said he always had a way with Pokemon, ever since he could remember in fact, and then proceeded to tell her about his psychic and spiritual powers, abilities he inherited from his father, the all-powerful world champ. It was several months later when she discovered his ever growing arsenal of legendary Pokemon, something Iris and Cilan were already used to seeing given his penchant for capturing them. They had seen his legends many times throughout their travels and conveyed to her all the times he had seen and captured various legends of the Unova region.

Alexa had been astounded by Ash's captures to say the least, but she didn't get a clear idea of just how great a trainer he was until she visited Oak's lab in Pallet town and interviewed the esteemed professor himself. The man was exuberant in praise about his star pupil, the most famous trainer in all of Pallet town, and upon seeing his Pokemon at Oak's ranch and seeing some of his less common legends, Alexa could understand why the man was so ecstatic. If nothing else, Ash Ketchum was the most powerful Pokemon trainer she'd ever seen, with more legendary Pokemon on his roster than most people see in their lifetimes. On top of all that, he had saved the world dozens of times and all of the legendary Pokemon he captured admitted that he was the only trainer worthy of them. Alexa had offered countless times to tell Ash's story to Kalos, to let everyone know what a great trainer he was, and he finally accepted her offer, just before they boarded this plane.

Being a reporter of her reputation meant she had to get all the facts straight, and she had spent hours grilling all the details she could from Ash, creating a timeline and mapping out almost his entire journey from beginning to end. In the wake of learning all that she had, Alexa realized she had stumbled upon the front page story of a lifetime, the likes of which most reporters could only dream of. Ash was putting a lot of trust in her to tell the world about his gifts, wondering what ulterior motives he had for getting his powers, Pokemon, and image all around the world, but nevertheless she was eternally grateful to him for trusting her above all others in her field.

She wasn't going to let him down, she was going to make him out to be the true hero he deserved to be seen as, and nothing was going to stop her from getting the full scoop one of these days. Who knows, if she made a good enough image of Ash throughout Kalos maybe he'd consider leaking some more details of his life and journey to her, not that she didn't already know a ton, she probably knew a hell of a lot more than her brain could properly register right now.

Ash couldn't help smiling as he tried to tune out what Alexa was thinking at this very moment, stroking Raichu's tail and earning an extremely happy 'cha' from the Pokemon in an effort to distract himself from the infinite vastness of his own awareness. Alexa was going over the interview he and professor Oak gave her back at the Oak Pokemon laboratory, and he knew he was probably taking a huge leap of faith here letting her tell the world of his many accomplishments over the years, even some of the ones that weren't well known. Ash Ketchum was known all over the world, his fame second to none and equalled only by a select few, and once this story made it out to the Kalos newspapers he'd probably be the most well known person on this entire earth. He knew how important it was for him to get his image across the world, since there was a storm coming and when it hit, people were going to need a beacon of hope to help inspire them to take up the fight against Omninoir.

For all his powers, Ash knew he couldn't fight this upcoming war with Omninoir all by himself. People were going to need someone to look up to, to guide them into the light, but they also needed to know that Ash couldn't do everything for them, so letting them know exactly what he was capable of and what his self imposed limits were was the only way for them to know what he couldn't do by himself. He knew he was bending the truth a little, letting people think his powers had limits, but he had his reasons for not revealing the full scope of his abilities. If people knew what he was truly capable of they might not have the capacity to fight their own battles and would rely on him to do everything for them.

His ultimate godhood was kept secret for a reason, and he planned on making his so called boundaries and constraints _very_ clear in the following weeks, months, and maybe even years, depending on how long he stuck around in Kalos. Alexa seemed to understand the need for discretion on some things, she even suspected Ash was still holding some stuff back in spite of all he told her but didn't press the issue, she knew about his psychic and aura powers, his legendary Pokemon, his father, and even the limitless power levels of the two abilities he had that she knew about, but promised to be vague in the details of his powers, only planning to say his aura and psychic powers were both a hereditary trait he inherited from his father at birth. Aura masters and psychics were accepted even today in modern society, albeit with slight apprehension, but beings who were bestowed with ultimate godhood and all the powers in the Omega Omnisphere... not so much, and he was glad Alexa understood that, her thoughts as open to him as any book he ever read.

He had gone over the moral philosophy of using his awareness to always know what people were thinking and feeling, and had ultimately decided to not suppress his sensory or awareness powers. He often wondered if he had the right to have almost total knowledge of what the people around him thought and felt, to basically invade their privacy.

Then again, if he lessened this ability he might not have seen Team Plasma coming the numerous times they attacked him and his friends, or sensed the impending calamity Giovanni planned to unleash by controlling Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus. He also might not have been aware of a great deal of other things that saved his friends' lives countless times over and many other things, so in this case his infinite awareness and perception were justified, even if it meant there was virtually nothing his friends and family could hide from him. There were too many horrific events that could unfurl or befall his loved ones for him to hold anything back in that sense, especially with Omninoir gunning for him now, so his nigh-omniscience, infinite perception, and cosmic senses remained fully intact. He knew they were almost in Lumiose city now, and was aware of the fact that they were now flying over dry land instead of ocean water. "Say Alexa, what do you say we wake up sleepy head between us in an unconventional manner," Ash grinned quasi-maniacally, and Alexa's answering grin was just as feral.

"Hey Raichu," Ash whispered, getting the attention of the one Pokemon he relied on as much as his Alakazam. ' _That's my name, don't wear it out, what do you want Ash?_ ' Raichu wondered, though to Alexa it only sounded like the Pokemon was talking in its usual language. "Do you think you can wake up mister pervert beside us? I don't like to imagine what he must be dreaming about and cock-blocking him has become a rather fun habit of mine. I can see why Misty, Max, and Brock's Toxicroak got such a kick out of it," Ash chortled, and Raichu nodded eagerly with a grin only the Cheshire cat could love while Alexa burst out laughing at Ash's statement, the orange mouse sparking his cheeks with small jolts of blue electricity in preparation.

"Remember to take it easy on him Raichu, I don't want you stopping his heart now," Ash reminded his starter, though if he was being honest with himself his suggestion wasn't even necessary. Raichu was so well trained at precisely controlling its infinite electrical power it could alternate continuously between using power no greater than a level 1 individual of its species to firing off thunderbolts capable of destroying cities, eviscerating entire armies of regular Pokemon, increasing the atmosphere's electron voltage to absolute levels, and even creating thunderstorms capable of destroying the planet. As a fully trained individual of its species, there was no limit to the pure energy within it that it could use to empower its attacks, and Raichu actually had a very versatile move pool on top of that.

Grinning gregariously as Raichu fired a boundlessly underpowered version of its thunder shock attack to wake up Brock, startling several of the other passengers as Brock sat up with a start and shouted aloud with some very colorful swear words, Ash couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing. Nobody else really noticed the electric attack because Raichu was talented enough to keep it low key, but Brock's swearing sure got everyone's attention. Said Pokemon doctor was now glaring in Ash and Raichu's direction once everyone returned to whatever they were doing before, Alexa giggling behind him and Ash and the lightning mouse stared back at their oldest travel companion, completely unabashed.

"Why in the hell did you wake me up like that, I was having the most pleasant dream," Brock sighed dreamily, crying Anime tears as Ash chuckled at the cartoonish physics this universe sometimes allowed for, but also at Brock's reaction. "No doubt you were dreaming about women," Alexa smirked under her breath, causing Brock to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Honestly, why does the universe hate me? Nobody ever said desiring women was a crime, when did it become a violation against nature to pursue members of the opposite sex? Last I checked, it was required for the cycle of life to continue," Brock complained, and Ash rolled his eyes.

He had long since gotten accustomed to Brock's seemingly endless horniness and his desire to sleep with every good looking female he happened across. He had actually been given a temporary suspension from the Pokemon Doctor's school for hitting on the pretty nurses studying there, which was the only reason he was traveling with Ash once again. Apparently he was forbidden from ever attending the school again unless he got his... urges under control and learned to treat the women working there with respect. It would have been extremely unprofessional of him to behave that way in any hospital, particularly in the Pokemon centers while working with Nurse Joy, and nearly every nurse Joy agreed with this sentiment, having been subject to Brock's declarations of love in the past.

"Honestly Brock, you really need to learn the proper way to treat women. The way you go about asking them out is just plain... creepy, know what I'm saying?" Alexa said warmly, clearly sympathetic of Brock's situation despite the fact the guy had hit on her the instant he met her. Ash laughed as he recalled how Helioptile had shocked the former gym leader in response to him trying to woo its trainer, the memory still fresh in his mind since it only happened yesterday before they boarded the plane.

Brock gazed at Alexa with hearts in his eyes until Ash elbowed him in the ribs, jarring him back to his senses. "Dude, what did she just say? Look, I've put up with a lot since you and I first started traveling together back in Kanto, but the way you treat women is quite frankly disgusting. Take my advice my friend, your method of attracting women screams desperation, so why not try actually befriending a girl you can grow to deeply, truly love. Trust me when I say the results may be quite different, you've got to stop treating girls like a means to alleviating your sexual desires and more like people, you know? Think about your relationship with your sisters or even with girls who are younger than you, the way you treat them is way better than how you treat each woman you supposedly love, what does that tell you? You need to change your approach man, because what you're doing right now is obviously not getting you the results you desire."

"You should start by being more like how you were to people like Dawn or May, show people what a kind, compassionate, family oriented guy you can be, trust me, there are a lot of girls who like nice guys. Take it from someone whom both May and Dawn developed feelings for, simply declaring your undying love for a girl in such an overzealous way is not an act of true love at all, you need to show her, yes Brock, the one girl you're destined to be with, not multiple nurse Joys or officer Jenny's, let your actions speak for you. Sensitivity, kindness, mutual understanding, passion, deep trust, and a lot of other elements are elements of true love, and Brock my man, I know you have the capacity to find someone wonderful to spend the rest of your life with, you just got to change it up a bit, change how you go about chasing women," Ash advised the Pokemon doctor in training in a lengthy, but helpful statement.

Brock scratched his chin, evidently in deep thought over Ash's words which clearly had a big impact on him. "So you're saying I should treat women I am attracted to the same way I treat the girls I consider family or friends, I was always told that romantic love was different though, it sure as hell feels different," he mused thoughtfully, and Ash's eyebrow quirked. He hadn't forgotten that Brock had basically grown up and raised his entire family without his father's support, and in that time he probably never had any male role model to teach him the proper decorum when interacting with the opposite sex, everything he knew about women was probably from raising his sisters or self taught to him when he reached puberty. Realizing he and Brock probably should have had this talk years ago, Ash could barely hold back a chuckle as he realized Brock was actually quite clueless about the nature of a romantic relationship.

"It is different from familial love and unconditional love Brock. Romantic love is the most powerful form of love, but it is also the least stable and potentially the most dangerous, so you need to be careful how you go about expressing it. That being said, whether the woman you're interacting with is just a friend or someone you want to be something more with, you need to treat her like an actual human being regardless of the kind of love you harbor for her. Can romantic love drive you to act like a lovesick psycho, hell yeah man, and believe me it can be very obsessive; I know that better than most. The point is you need to try to rein it in until you actually get the girl, otherwise it could consume you and it will consume you if you let it. Once you have a girlfriend and the two of you are completely, utterly enamored with one another, then you can act like a lovesick pup all you want and she would never get sick of you, though you still need to treat her with respect and one more thing Brock, _never ever_ take any girl you may end up dating for granted, and don't expect the first girl you manage to date to necessarily be the one you wish to spend the rest of your life with. Sometimes you have to go through a ton of relationships that don't work out before you finally find the right girl for you," Ash replied, and Brock nodded in understanding while Alexa beamed at Ash for the delivery of his heartfelt speech.

"I'm glad we had this chat Ash, and maybe you're right man. I could definitely do no more harm than I've been doing by changing my approach. Honestly ever since the Pokemon Doctor training school suspended me I've really been contemplating how I treat the women I crush on, and I think I am ready to start seriously looking for a nice girl that I can actually, genuinely fall in love with, so I'll try things your way and see how it works out," Brock smiled, and Ash nodded with proud satisfaction while Raichu gave the older man a thumbs up and Alexa kissed him on the cheek as a reward for all the progress he made in such a short amount of time. Ash knew he normally wouldn't have had much luck getting through to Brock where love was concerned, the man was pretty set in his ways and the Pallet town trainer had never been able to get through to him before, but with Brock's dream of being a Pokemon doctor depending on his change in approach, maybe Ash would have far better luck at helping him change for the better than he ever did before.

Brock was just about to go love crazy again upon receiving the kiss but somehow managed to control himself, albeit barely. Ash's chortles and snickers were interrupted by the pilot's voice echoing on the speakers throughout the plane. "Attention passengers, we will now begin our descent into Lumiose city, please fasten your seatbelts and return your Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and thank you for flying with the Kanto airline," the man boomed, his voice reverberating through the entire plane as Ash leaned forward in his seat in eager anticipation. The plane shook as people returned their Pokemon with all due haste and Raichu clung to Ash's pants with its tiny claws and toes, its godlike strength enabling it to cling to him and yet not hurting its trainer in the slightest. Ash supposed that rule wasn't really enforced as he let Raichu stay out, knowing how much it hated to be confined to a Pokeball, that it would rather be caught in the plane's turbulence. Besides getting tossed around in a plane wasn't exactly going to hurt a fully trained Pokemon, it would take a hell of a lot more than that to damage his starter even in the slightest. Even falling out of the plane at this altitude and falling tens of thousands of feet below wouldn't hurt it, but nevertheless Ash allowed it to cling to him and snuggled it to his chest.

Ash was excited and terrified at the same time, excited at the prospect of a new journey and new Pokemon and especially meeting Serena again, who he knew was somewhere in Kalos thanks to his infinite perceptive powers. Even though he couldn't pinpoint her exact location, he was able to get a general idea of where she was located though that idea spanned the entire Kalos region, plus he had used his powers to comb through every region he had been to and all the people who had come and gone to those regions in the past 8 years since his journey started, and saw no sign of her. He had spent his entire journey scanning the faces in every crowd at every major battle and contest he competed in, every new city he arrived in he looked for any sign of her dazzling smile or her gorgeous cerulean eyes, but came up empty handed every time. Still, Ash Ketchum One Million had never been a quitter, and considering his and Serena's catchphrase from when they were kids, he knew he could never give up until the end.

He now knew Serena was still in Kalos, thanks to his powers and thanks to sources of Intel he utilized as the co-leader of the Pokemon G-men, it was just one of the many favors he asked Lance, and thanks to the former Kanto and Johto league champ, Ash was able to at least verify that the daughter of the famous Rhyhorn racer Grace Yvonne was still in the Kalos region. It was strange, his powers were virtually useless at tracking her but with Satellite imaging and all the other technological and human methods for tracking people down, her image actually came up on the screen of the Pokemon G-Men's mainframe computer.

Plus it had become pretty obvious where she was because of how thoroughly he looked for her elsewhere, and though he had known all along that she moved back to the Kalos region, he didn't think she would stay there all this time. He was terrified by the prospect of seeing her again. Did she remember him at all and if she did, did she remember him as fondly as he would like? No matter what the case though, he wouldn't let his nerves keep him from seeing her again, no force in the Omega Omnisphere could stop their inevitable reunion now, and he determined right here and now that even if she didn't remember him, even if she had fallen in love with someone else, he would always love her unconditionally. But if she was still single and just didn't remember him, he was confident he could remind her of what the two of them had meant to each other once upon a time or even reforge that connection from scratch if need be.

He had allowed his uncertainty and fear to keep him from traveling the Kalos region back when he first started his journey, but back then he didn't have any of his power nor anywhere near the number of fully trained Pokemon he had now, thus his ability to handle himself in difficult and dangerous situations was limited. His mom would not have wanted him so far away from home in the first stretch of his journey, so no matter how much his heart ached to see her, Ash stayed away from Kalos and stuck to Kanto. He secretly hoped she'd come find him in Kanto instead and they'd travel together like they always planned, but it was wishful thinking, she never showed up, which only strengthened the notion that she had forgotten about him. Even now, Ash was still afraid she wouldn't remember him, but he was done letting fear stop him from reuniting with her, nothing could stop him from finding out what she had been up to this past decade and more importantly, if she remembered him.

If she did, he would be happy beyond measure, but it would also beg the question as to why she never came back for him while he was stuck traveling in Kanto or traveling any of the other regions. He wasn't exactly quiet about the fact that she was his best friend forever, and every time he had been on the air or his battles had been televised throughout his journey he took the opportunity to acknowledge her, so why? Why hadn't she come to find him yet, why did she not send him some kind of message or sign? This question above all others was the one he dreaded the answer to most, but even that would not stop him. He was done being afraid, he was done with being on his journey without her, and he was done with not knowing where she was, how she was doing, or if she felt the same way he did all these years. No matter what happened though, he knew that one way or another, he would make her his, as he should've done so long ago.

The situation with Serena was just one of his many problems though, and he was also afraid of this impending doom and gloom situation with Omninoir, a Pokemon that was literally evil in its purest, most eternal form and perfectly capable of making the omniverse itself its bitch. Nevertheless though, he wasn't about to let some Omnimalevolent primal void keep him from living life to its fullest, reuniting with Serena, and continuing his journey to become not only the world champ, but also the greatest Pokemon master the Omega Omnisphere has ever known. He was ready, ready to begin preparations for his eventual showdown with the very essence of ultimate darkness, and no matter how difficult the struggle, he would continue to insist that he could save the world, defeat the villain without killing him, and get the girl, all in time for him to conquer the Pokemon world championship and defeat his all-powerful father, the current Pokemon master Fredrick Ketchum.

He became aware of Arceus's presence reacting to his thoughts, its all-powerful voice of sublimity and perfection echoing in his head. ' _Ash, keep in mind that Omninoir will have all of your powers and none of your inhibitions. It's going to take everything you have to beat him, assuming that he can even be beaten,_ ' it advised him warningly, and Ash responded by sending a pulse of pure determination and unyielding refusal to give in through the power of aura. "I don't care how powerful it is, I'll take it on like I have everything else," he said resolutely, his voice barely above a whisper but laced with limitless power. The plane was now beginning to descend rapidly as Raichu and all of Ash's Pokemon regarded their trainer with renewed respect and admiration. ' _And don't forget we're here as well Ash._ ' Raichu declared while still hugging itself to Ash's chest, the rest of his Pokemon adding their support to his starter's from inside their Pokeballs. With his team of fully trained monsters strapped to his belt, and every omnipotent power in the Omega Omnisphere coursing through him, Ash knew he had all he needed to walk the long and inexorable path laid out ahead of him.

He may require additional help however, if what Arceus said to him about two more Chosen Ones over a year ago was true, but just for now he was willing to leave tomorrow until tomorrow and forgo his dark premonitions, content to awaiting his arrival in a new region and continuing his journey. "Because after all, it's not the destination that's important it's the journey getting there. Once I become world champ that's the end of the road, but so long as the journey towards Pokemon mastery is ongoing; then I can continue to learn, grow, travel, and train, make new friends, and so on and so forth," Ash stated out loud, earning some very confused stares from Brock and Alexa as they wondered what exactly the Pallet town trainer had been musing about the last few minutes. Both of them shrugged however and returned to their own thoughts and longing anticipation for their arrival, blissfully unaware of what the world was about to face or that it's only hope for survival was sitting right next to them...

XXXXX

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to the elegant splendor and grandeur of the Pokemon master class performance. I am Monsieur Pierre, guide to your dream of love. Here in Lumiose city we have gathered once more for the competition that can only conclude with someone basking in the glory of being Kalos queen. We have some amazing contestants competing here, but only one will emerge the victor. Now please, let us all give a very warm welcome to the current Kalos queen, the one who will defend her title to the brink of her abilities, SERENA YVONNE!" the host of every Tripokalon announced at the top of his lungs, his voice drowned out by the level of applause echoing throughout the vast master class arena.

Upon hearing her name called from above, Serena waited underneath the stage with her starter Delphox ever by her side, the overpowering surreality of this place and the fact that she actually had yet to start her journey in the real world telling her this was undoubtedly a dream, but she knew better than to work against it and just decided to roll with it, promising herself she'd make this dream a reality one day.

Despite knowing that none of this was really happening, Serena still felt immeasurably nervous, excited, and terrified all at once, vowing to do her best here in this dream world so that she could apply any skills she gained here outside the realm created by her current state of sleep. She held her breath as the platform beneath her began to rise, ascending her and the Delphox she had always wanted ever since watching Aria's performances on TV to the stage above, taking her to her dreams.

Finally the platform stopped moving and she and the dreamed up Delphox took a bow with seemingly divine grace as they came face to face with the enormous, nerve wracking crowds, crowds that were now cheering and screaming her name at the top of her lungs. The sheer deafening volume of their cheers were drowned out by one particular voice, the voice of a person she had known since childhood and could pick out even now in this crowd of thousands, no tens of thousands of people. Despite his voice deepening or the fact that he had grown from a small, athletic looking 8 year old boy to the most gorgeous, attractive young man she had ever laid eyes on, Serena felt an overpowering sense of recognition, knowing who he was immediately.

Ash was in the very front row, cheering her on the loudest alongside her friends Calem, Tierno and Trevor. She knew the dream was probably pitting her friend Shauna against her in this fantasy tournament, but simply reveled in the fact that Ash was in this dream to. He was cheering his heart out for her, a Raichu on his shoulders for some inexplicable reason. Seeing him give her a positive thumb up as the crowd calmed down and mouthing their childhood catchphrase gave her the courage to proceed with her opening act, one she had never rehearsed before in real life but somehow knew here, in this place where all her dreams came true.

She locked eyes with her dream Delphox, and both of them began the routine without having to say so much as a single word to one another. Twirling her flaming stick in her hand like a baton, Delphox fired off rings of fire straight towards Serena, who didn't even hesitate before jumping through them one by one, performing various acrobatic stunts she didn't even know were humanly feasible, including cartwheels in midair, double front flips, and triple back flips. Eventually their ongoing rhythmic and perfectly synchronized dance changed pace as Delphox elegantly threw her fiery wand towards her trainer with unerring, precise accuracy, and Serena caught it in one hand with all the skill of the most accomplished baton pass Pokemon.

Twirling it repeatedly in hand while dancing with angelic grace on the stage, Serena and Delphox repeatedly played catch with the fire fox's stick, catching it and throwing it to one another while performing various stunts. One time Serena even caught it in midair while doing a triple back flip, landing flawlessly on her feet with the wand in hand while flashing a dazzling smile to the ear splitting roars of the crowd.

Finally for their big finish, Serena tossed Delphox's stick back at it and told it to fire multiple shadow balls while controlling them with psychic, and then use a dazzling gleam on them to shower the crowd in multicolored glitters of light. Delphox executed the move perfectly, and within seconds the entire arena was filled with the sounds of cheering as the psychic Pokemon controlled the hundreds of shadow balls it fired off in rapid succession, commanding them to move in sporadic, randomized dance-like motions before finishing up with a blinding dazzling gleam infused with so much raw power and beauty Serena knew her Delphox was likely a fully trained, level 100 Pokemon in this dream. A shower of black, pink, white, and all manner of other colors rained down in a seemingly infinite number of tiny fireworks in the entire arena. The crowd went absolutely ballistic as the Kalos queen and her ridiculously overpowered and inexhaustible Delphox took a bow for the entire world to see, Ash and her Kalos friends cheering for her louder than anyone else.

Even with all this not being real, it was hard for Serena not to get caught up in the heat of the moment as she rushed from the stage and rejoined Ash in the crowd, her Kalos queen outfit seemingly changing itself to her normal attire as she and Ash hugged, her euphoria overtaking her as Ash pulled away and stared down into her sapphire eyes, at least a foot taller than her in this realm and perfectly toned and muscular, with amber eyes as gorgeous and filled with raw intelligence as she remembered. He looked handsomer and more appealing than ever, and her dream self quickly blushed as he flashed his trademarked goofy grin. She quickly became lost in his hypnotic, inhumanly flawless gaze, every molecule in her body screaming at her to kiss him like she had never kissed anyone before.

"You did absolutely amazing Serena, you've come so far since the day we met, and your Delphox is so strong now. It's astonishing how quickly you fully trained it; I guess all my teachings paid off huh?" Ash chuckled, and Serena briefly wondered what Ash had to do with her success or the fact that her Delphox was trained to the highest possible level a Pokemon could achieve, but in the end she just decided to go with it, knowing that dreams often had inexplicable situations and could create scenarios that came at you from out of nowhere. Her desire to kiss him was intensifying with every passing second, and she knew it was only a matter of time before this dream became totally x-rated. Here she could accept that she loved Ash as more than just a friend, here she didn't have to worry about losing him again. In her dreams, he was the one good, constant thing in her life, and she wanted _so_ badly for all this to be more than just a figment of her imagination.

"This is not just a dream young child, nor your innermost fantasies, but a premonition," a voice suddenly sounded throughout the arena, completely drowning out the cheers of the crowds and every other sound currently echoing in her head, and just like that the dream changed almost instantaneously. Serena was now standing on a green hill overlooking an endless field of beautiful white flowers, truly a romantic setting as she wished for Ash to be sitting here with her, though he had vanished with the rest of the crowd in the arena, along with the arena itself to be replaced with this and that strange voice.

"Who said that?" she asked in wonderment, feeling an unfathomably mighty force penetrating her dream from the outside world. She could feel the ungodly, otherworldly powers it literally radiated from a vast distance, somehow materializing itself inside her inner world and making her perfectly, totally aware of the fact that this was no ordinary dream.

"I have been called many names throughout the myriad paths of infinity, but your people call me Arceus," the voice responded after several moments of agonizing silence. Serena's heart started beating rapidly in her chest as excitement, astonishment, and awed incredulity coursed through her all at once, unable to conceive any world where she would ever get an audience with the all-powerful creator of everything in the universe.

"This can't be real," she finally managed with a stammer, and the voice chuckled. "You'd be astounded by what's real my child, but let us dispense with the skepticism just for now, believe me I didn't penetrate your defences with any amount of effortlessness on my part. Sure I may be omnipotent but that doesn't mean as much as you may think, not against other beings with omnipotent powers, but I digress," it replied in a lengthy statement, causing Serena to stare ahead in utter befuddlement, still not even entirely sure she was just dreaming or if her imagination was finally getting carried away.

"You lost me there," she finally said, all the while thinking, ' _great, I'm having a weird conversation with a disembodied voice while I'm sleeping, and I can't even follow what it is saying_.' The voice that claimed to be Arceus chuckled once again, "I suppose I could have chosen a better time to try and speak to you, but the fact is your immunity to everything is only semi vulnerable when you're asleep, which is when any person is at their most vulnerable, but the situation with you is extraordinary. You possess abilities most other humans can only dream of," Arceus started, but Serena interrupted him, unable to keep her skepticism in check any longer.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't believe what you're saying, I'm nothing special. I can't do much of anything out there in the real world; I'm nearly 18 years old and have nothing to show for it. I haven't even had the guts to go against my mother's wishes and start my journey until now, when I'm too old for her to do anything to stop me. I'm a coward Arceus, and a failure as a friend to the most important person in my life, and I'm just barely holding it all together," she sighed frustratingly, nearly on the verge of tears now as her emotions got carried away during her difficult admission.

She felt a stab of sympathy wash over her from the divine presence now making itself at home in her subconscious, and she supposed she should have felt annoyed that it was basically invading her privacy, but she just couldn't. "My dear child, you have suffered greatly in your childhood, your mother has acted selfishly and because of that your relationship with her has suffered deeply. You even think you have lost the closest friend you've ever had, but none of these things are gone for good. For all you have suffered, for all you will inevitably suffer in the future, what you gain will eventually make up for all the losses, and the good will one day far surpass the bad, even if you refuse to believe it right now. For all you will face on your journey tomorrow, you will gain abilities no other human before you has ever possessed in the history of mankind," Arceus informed her.

"What do you mean, and why have you appeared to me in the first place? I thought Arceus only appeared to Pokemon trainers destined to become the greatest Pokemon masters of their time. I seriously doubt I fit any sort of category where Pokemon mastery is concerned, so I'll ask you again, _why the hell are you here_?!" Serena demanded with emphatic incredulity.

"An excellent question Serena, I'll keep my answer as straightforward and comprehensible as possible. Your destiny was written long ago, by me and other equally powerful entities, you are one of three Pokemon trainers I have selected from this point in time to wield omnipotent powers as Pokemon masters and to become the zeniths of your species. You and my other two chosen champions, through countless trials, losses, and battles, will become the greatest and most powerful Pokemon masters the world has ever or will ever know. A prophecy as old as time itself refers to you three by a title now known across the multiverse, the Omega Omnisphere's Mightiest Pokemon Masters, this essentially means that you'll become the strongest not only in this world, but perhaps in all worlds," Arceus explained with excruciating simplicity, yet Serena was somehow able to understand everything he said, and was growing more disbelieving and uncomprehending with every word he spoke.

"This... isn't possible... I don't believe you," she stammered in a stupor, numb with overpowering shock and dismay. If even a fraction of what Arceus said was true, her imprisonment in Vaniville town was probably preferable to what she may be faced with tomorrow when her journey began. She was petrified with uncertainty and a fear of the unknown, unsure what tomorrow would bring and if she had what it took to really live up to what Arceus expected her to be?

"Why me, I mean, why pick me of all people?!" she finally added once she recovered from her shock, still uncertain about why an all-powerful being from another dimension would ever think her as worthy of such a grand destiny. "I don't think I'm worthy of this Arceus, worthy of being whatever it is you expect me to be, you've chosen the wrong person, how can I even begin to live up to this?!" she continued, now on a roll as Arceus's voice overshot her, and she immediately shut up.

"The fact you do not know whether or not you are worthy of possessing the powers I will help you unlock only proves that you are. Throughout history, those who have strived for power have often become corrupted by it, drunk on the strength it gives them. In my own personal opinion, I like to believe those most worthy of having power are typically the ones who do not strive for it, who wear the mantle because they must, and find to their surprise that they wear it well. That is why I find you worthy, so Serena Yvonne, will you accept your destiny, and will you accept everything I believe you can be? I have to warn you though; if you choose to walk this path, there is no turning back. Eternity itself will stretch ahead of you, so weigh your options carefully," Arceus warned her with a dark, cryptic undertone, causing the honey blonde girl to shudder uncontrollably.

Even if she could wrap her head around the immense absurdity of this whole situation, she had no way of knowing how to go about weighing her options. How did she compare the life she was accustomed to with one she could never understand in a million years, what were the pros and cons of living the kind of life Arceus wished for her to lead. How was she even going to live up to what it expected from her if she made the choice for it to practically deify her?

"UGH, I DON'T KNOW!" she shouted at the top of her lungs in complete frustration, unable to decide anything in her current state of mind. Arceus sighed, apparently disappointed with her ineptitude at making a decision, "what if I told you that you'd pretty much be God. You already have the power to do all this within you, you have since birth Serena, but whether or not you tap into this power will depend entirely on you. I'm here to help you with that, but I'm pressed for time. Only hours remain until you awaken, and then it'll be impossible to penetrate your otherwise impenetrably defensive mind," it said gently and patiently as Serena merely gawked at her dreamy surroundings with slacken jaws, the surrounding flowers showering her subconsciously created surroundings with petals.

"You mean to tell me I've had these powers all along?!" she exclaimed questioningly, and Arceus merely chuckled once again, seeming to find her amazed confusion amusing. "I designed your powers to remain dormant within you until such a time when you needed them and came to accept everything you are. Your powers were created to self manifest whenever your life was in danger, but other than that I wanted you to live a semi normal life until such a time you desired something more, that time is now my child," Arceus said in response, and Serena nodded in accord, knowing Arceus was right about that.

Finally, she only really had one more major question. She was now informed of her capacity to become one of history's three greatest Pokemon masters, and that she herself would possess powers far exceeding those of mortal men, the only question that remained was what exactly those powers were. As if reading her mind, Arceus answered her unasked question before she could say it aloud. "You will possess a near infinite arsenal of powers, including every nigh omnipotent power and nigh omnipotent physiology in the Omega Omnisphere, along with every super power at infinite levels. You will possess ultimate physical capabilities, control infinite possibilities via limitless probability manipulation, wield infinite amounts of every spiritual and emotional power, and possess limitless teleportation powers enabling you to instantly transport absolutely anything to any point in the Omega Omnisphere, past present, or future, and a virtually limitless number of other powers. On top of all that, you will possess the most absolute form of immortality, making it a conceptual impossibility to kill you by any and all means. You will be flawlessly indestructible, meaning you cannot be hurt or destroyed no matter how powerful your opponent is; only an omnipotent being can have the slightest hope of hurting or killing you. You'll also be infinitely skilled in any and all fields, possessing absolute levels of natural talent and thus will have a completely unfair advantage against any other Pokemon trainer in any and all fields of Pokemon mastery."

"By far your most powerful ability however, is your ability to exist outside of absolutely everything and anything, including causation, duality, time, space, life, death, nothingness, and even the Omega Omnisphere itself. Your existence will be a conceptual impossibility and as a result will be completely illogical by its fundamental nature. With this power, you will be completely immutable and immune to everything, including temporal paradoxes and even the influence of other nigh omnipotent and even omnipotent beings sometimes, yet somehow you yourself will be able to control every aspect of your existence on a boundless level. A self-contradiction like this is truly a mind boggling concept to contemplate, yet one cannot deny that contradictions exist in the world, even in every day phenomena. Since this ability will be illogical, it will create inexplicable weaknesses for you from time to time, but rest assured you will be one of the most powerful beings in the totality of existence," Arceus finished, and Serena listened with rapt attention, drinking in everything it said with an insatiable thirst.

She still couldn't fully believe or understand any of this, but if she woke up with the power to make all her dreams and aspirations come true, to reunite with Ash and travel with him like they always planned, and to help other people fulfill their lifelong dreams or just help in general, shouldn't she accept Arceus's offer? Did she even have an actual choice here though? She honestly didn't know, and even though it assured her that her powers wouldn't manifest until she fully embraced them, just yesterday she had still considered herself a normal person, and now this?! This was just too much, just too big for her to fathom, and she wasn't sure if she was able to give Arceus a straight answer tonight. She didn't think she had much choice though and knew she had to decide quickly, dawn was approaching and her mom would be waking her up soon, causing Arceus to lose its window of opportunity.

"I'm sorry Arceus, I'm just not sure I can give you an answer right now, your offer sounds extremely tempting, but if what you said is even remotely true, then my powers will manifest when I accept them anyways right?" Serena wondered, remembering what it said about her strongest power being illogical and wondering if it was counterproductive to try and reason any of this out in a logical fashion. Arceus sighed in disappointment, "I wish it were that simple Serena, unfortunately things rarely are that simple I'm afraid. There is an impending calamity about to befall this world and only the Chosen Three have power enough to put an end to it. I'm afraid I can't afford any delays in my timetable Serena. I need an answer to whether or not you're willing to try and embrace your destiny before the sun rises over the fences surrounding Vaniville town, you don't have to give me any answer for certain, you don't even have to say yes or no, I just need to know you're willing to try and learn how to master your powers and more importantly master yourself," it whispered fearfully, the calamity it described enough to make Serena's skin crawl.

Whatever this doom was, it was enough to make the most powerful being in the universe feel fear, which made it very clear to her that she ought to be just as afraid as it was, if not more so. "So if I don't accept here and now, I could potentially put the safety of the world at risk?" she finally asked, trying to wrap her head around that fact, knowing her decision was already made if it said yes. The bodiless voice seemed crushed by its own penitence, "unfortunately, that does appear to be the case Serena. I wish I could say that the situation wasn't as dire as all that but it is. An entity of unfathomable power and destructive capability is aiming to conquer our universe and every other, and I've been working on a contingency to possibly counter its plans for multiversal conquest, but I can't do it alone. This is a foe I can only stalemate with at best, my powers and its own on an equal level, I need more than just my own limitless powers to take this creature down, and I'm going to need your help to set my plan in motion," Arceus explained to her guiltily.

"Even the most meticulous plans can sometimes fail Arceus," Serena murmured with a wisdom she did not know she possessed. Arceus nodded in agreement, "indeed, this upcoming battle with that entity will be a war to end all wars, and in wars things can sometimes not go according to even the most well laid plans, but like myself and my other Chosen Champions you're going to have to choose between what is right and what is easy," it said sagely, and Serena's mind was made up.

Stepping forward despite not knowing where in her dream Arceus was positioned, Serena gave it her answer at long last. "I'll do it, I'll accept your offer Arceus, if everything you've said is true and my decision to become everything you believe I can be is tied to the fate of the world, then I don't really have much of a choice. If there is even the slightest chance my acceptance can save lives and the lives of the people closest to me, then who the hell am I to refuse," she announced, her determination to stop this entity from hurting her friends outweighing her fear and the enormity of everything she had learned from this very strange and life altering dream. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if she had just sold her soul, and if these powers she'd tap into would come at too high a price? There was nothing she could do it about it now though, she made her bed, and no matter how impossible this whole situation was for her to comprehend, she had to sleep in that bed.

She could sense a wave of relief emanating from Arceus, and she felt like she had made the right decision, even if she didn't understand half of what it said, what she did understand she knew she just had to do. Ash always told her to open her mind to insane possibilities; it would help keep her sane during any unexplainable events in her life. It had been just one of the many insightful things he said, and she knew she would never give up no matter what, whatever this dream was, whatever it entailed, she knew she would never be able to forgive herself if she simply walked away from it all and left the world to its fate.

"Very good child, your nigh omnipotent deification will begin the moment Ash arrives in Kalos later this very day, and will gradually manifest during your Kalos journey. When you wake up though, your memory of this conversation and your willingness to accept my offer will deaden almost completely. I do not wish for this dream, this single moment in time to have too big an impact on every decision you make from here on out, so even though you will awaken as a changed woman, you will not even believe it at first and your memory of this dream will eventually fade away entirely. You are far better off starting your journey without the knowledge of what just occurred here and now, at least until you are ready to accept everything. As the humans say, ignorance is bliss, and the truth about your existence will become your new reality, your new world only when you are truly ready to accept all that you are. Always remember Serena, though I have governed your destiny to an extent your life does not belong to me or any other being, you are free to decide who you let into your life, who you are, and who you become," it promised her, and Serena nodded numbly in understanding, feeling strangely detached from this dream already and the powers now flowing into her from Arceus's overwhelming presence.

"Will I still be allowed to pursue my dream to become the Kalos queen?" Serena wondered, her dream career still just as important to her as it ever was, even with all she had learned tonight she was glad to know her priorities or her ultimate goal hadn't shifted or changed. Arceus chuckled at her question, "of course you will still be allowed to pursue your dream, one of the personal rules I abide by as an all-powerful being is my being forbidden from interfering with free will, so I cannot keep you from pursuing your dreams. All I am permitted to do is suggest that you do not abuse the powers you will amass in any endeavour you undertake, rest assured you will know how to use all your powers properly when the time comes, including how to limit them and control every aspect of your existence. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear, or so the old saying goes," Arceus explained reassuringly, and Serena sighed in relief as her dream began fading and Arceus's presence retreated from her mind.

"Serena, time to get up!" her mom shouted upstairs, and Serena groaned in response, now only half asleep as she barely registered her mom calling up to her. Arceus had retreated from her mind fully, her natural defences evidently too strong for it to easily penetrate anymore, and like it said she could already feel her memory of the dream beginning to fade away. She became aware of her pink comforters failing to cover her bare feet, leaving them slightly chilled as she tried to recall the dream, her efforts to do so becoming increasingly more difficult.

She was just about to try and fall back asleep and hope that dream invading entity would visit her again when... _peck_. Serena screamed as she sat up rigidly in her bed, the sting of Fletchling's peck attack still fresh on her face as she glared down at the tiny robin Pokemon sitting perched on the foot of her bed. Anger surged through her at the annoyingly adorable sight before her, Fletchling's cuteness not appealing to her incurred wrath in the slightest.

"I told you a thousand times _not_ to wake me up at that!" she shouted angrily before lunging for Fletchling as fast as her body would allow. Fletchling easily dodged her futile attempt, flying just out of her reach as though mocking her inability to fly and landing on her head as she sat back up. Sighing in exasperation, Serena felt her anger abating in favor of mild annoyance, unable to stay mad at the adorable and nimble creature.

"You're just lucky you're so cute and that I don't have my powers yet," Serena grumbled, causing Fletchling to take to the air once again and stare at her in confusion while flapping its wings. Serena rolled her eyes, "it's nothing Fletchling, just had a really strange dream," Serena muttered as her mom yelled up at her again to hurry up and get ready.

"Coming mom," Serena shouted back while grumbling inaudibly under her breath; Fletchling retreating from her room, its task now complete as it went back downstairs. "Ugh, not again," Serena added while scrambling in her messy room to get ready, clothes strewn all over the floor and half the contents of her stocked up closet spilled out onto the pinkish carpet.

Changing out of her pink pajamas, Serena stripped down to her bra and underwear while going into her dresser to withdraw her every day attire and her training outfit, her double d-cup breasts straining in her undersized bra as she thought about the dream from last night, no longer as certain whether or not it was even real.

She could remember feeling like it was real while she slept, but right now as she stood in her room wide awake, the memory of the dream was fading just like the so called Arceus said it would, and she was glad to know she still loved Pokemon performing as much now as she ever did. The entity claiming to be Arceus was right about one thing, if nothing else she and her mom had a very strained relationship. She didn't even like Rhyhorn racing, yet her mom insisted she could be one; such was Grace Yvonne's selfishness that she didn't even consider her daughter's feelings or opinion when deciding what she thought was best for her.

Gritting her teeth in an effort to keep a decade's worth of frustration and anger in check, Serena focused on the positives, like the fact that she only had one more day until her journey began, before she turned 18 and would be considered a legal adult anywhere in Kalos. She had made it abundantly clear to her mother that come her 18th birthday she was leaving on her journey whether she wanted her to or not, and Grace grudgingly accepted that, though she seemed to push Serena harder than ever during her training with Rhyhorn since Serena told her that, much to the honey blonde girl's endless frustration. Secretly, Serena had been planning to run away for the past several years, a plan only her best female friend Shauna knew about, and if it wasn't for the loud, headstrong girl talking her down when she was getting worked up over her mother, Serena would have left a lot sooner. Her mom didn't know this of course, but that didn't stop her from taking Serena's training to unbearable levels.

In complete honesty, she'd rather spend her last day here hanging out with Shauna and Calem; but Grace booked every Friday for the two of them to train for hours on end. Quickly sliding into her skin tight black top and hoisting her skirt up over her panties, Serena found a clean pair of her black over the knee socks and sat back down on her bed to put them on, her Rhyhorn racing suit ready to go on the foot of her bed for after breakfast when her mom would drill her at practice.

"Just one more day, one more day until I'm done here, you've got this Serena, you can get through one more day without blowing up, then you can leave this place forever," Serena told herself repeatedly after she finished fixing her waist length honey blonde hair the way she liked it, found her pink felt hat with a black bow, and placed it on her head before looking over to her desk.

Her most precious belonging sat there on her desk where it always sat while she was in bed, and she picked it up and gazed at it in admiration. Many people would consider Serena strange for her unusual fondness of such an unremarkable object as a blue handkerchief, but to her, it was almost as precious as the friendship it represented. Smiling was a rare thing for her nowadays, even with Shauna and Calem refusing to begin their respective journeys until she could as well, Serena only smiled like she was now when thinking of Ash.

It wasn't that she didn't love Shauna and Calem, she truly did, and in fact she and Calem even tried dating once, but neither one of them could ever replace Ash, nobody could if she was being completely honest. Having to leave him the day she moved away at 8 years of age was the hardest day of her life, and even Ash's parting words were barely enough to keep her going. ' _True friendship never dies,_ ' he had said with a degree of wisdom no 8 year old child should have, but Ash had never been a normal boy as long as she had known him. His uniqueness was part of what endeared him so much to her, and every guy she had dated since moving back to Vaniville town, she compared to him, all of them falling short of the most important person in her life.

Ash was truly one of a kind, one in a million, and Serena had never been able to let go of him, even after 10 years, she still couldn't. The thought of him one day reuniting with her was the only thing that kept her going, and she vowed that as soon as she left on her journey tomorrow, she'd track him down and travel with him like they always planned when they were children. She didn't want to be an imposition to him during his travels, especially if he was anything like his father and already a champion level trainer, but she could no longer bear the thought of going on in this world without him by her side. She couldn't stand not knowing what he'd been up to these past years, hating the fact that Kalos was so far off the beaten path, completely out of touch with the other regions even today.

Quickly tying her blue handkerchief from Ash around her wrist like a makeshift bracelet, Serena deemed herself ready to face the day as she left her room, in no hurry to begin her Rhyhorn racing training and trying to rein in her endless frustration with her mom. She and Grace had suffered a strain on their relationship ever since her mom arbitrarily decided to move them both back to Kalos without even asking for her opinion, leaving behind Pallet town and Ash, along with the life she had come to love living. She had never really forgiven her mom for it since, and the two of them acted as if nothing was wrong while the tension between them was quite obvious to anyone else, particularly Shauna and Calem when they came for a visit. Either Grace left to hang out with some friends of hers in the neighbourhood when Calem and Shauna came to visit Serena, or the three Vaniville town friends would go hang out somewhere else, usually in the next town for a milkshake or dinner.

She was lost in thought as she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen, the smell of Oran berry pancakes wafting throughout the house as she was only somewhat aware of it, despite the fact it was her favorite breakfast. She was thinking about the dream among other things, but right now some other things in her life had taken the spot as her number one priority. She and Grace hadn't had a proper mother-daughter talk in years, and if she didn't resolve at least some of the issues she had with her mom, Serena wasn't sure she'd be able to come back here once her journey began.

She wasn't even entirely sure she and her mom could come to some kind of understanding anymore, but she had to try, she would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't at least try to patch things up. If she truly couldn't however, she was old enough to strike out on her own come tomorrow, she'd be able to leave this place and never look back, and Pallet town was only on the other side of the entire world. She arrived in the dining room just as Grace was serving her breakfast, a plate of three Oran berry crepes with four strips of bacon, two fried eggs, a slice of toast with melted butter, and a healthy dosage of maple syrup poured over the bacon and crepes.

"Eat your breakfast quickly Serena, I want our last day of training to be productive before your journey begins," Grace instructed her as Serena felt her temper beginning to flare, knowing she had to come clean with her mom about everything, lest she lose this relationship forever. Taking her breakfast to the dining room table, Serena sat down in her usual seat while Grace sat across from her, pushing her food around on her plate instead of eating.

Grace watched her daughter play with her food with a misty expression in her eyes, having rarely seen her so lost in thought before. While it wasn't uncommon to see Serena in a pensive mood, this time she was taking her quiet musing to new heights, and the expression on her face tore at Grace's heart. In spite of what Serena may have thought about her, Grace did actually love her daughter, and since retiring as a Rhyhorn racer she had a lot of time to mull over her own shortcomings where Serena's upbringing was concerned.

She knew she hadn't been the perfect mother and had made some selfish decisions in years past, and she knew Serena had never quite forgiven her for making her move from their home in Pallet town. Grace had tried to justify it by saying she was the grownup and that Serena would learn to appreciate it someday, but she never did, all she had ever wanted was to travel with that sweet boy who had stolen her heart, even if she would never admit it to anyone including herself. She was done trying to justify it, and with Serena's determination to leave on her journey tomorrow, she knew she was going to have to force herself into a very uncomfortable conversation with her daughter, not even sure if she'd ever see Serena again once she walked out that door.

"Serena," Grace stated hesitantly, and said girl turned to her with a slight jerk of her head, unable to look at her mom without scowling for some reason. Fighting to control her emotions, Serena managed to lose the scowl and acknowledge her mother properly, surprised by how hard bringing up this topic was. "Yes mom," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper, the tension between them thick enough to cut through with a knife. Fletchling flew around the living room, minding its own business, but Serena could hear the constant flapping of its wings and was aware of her own heavy breathing as well as her mom's.

"I think we need to talk sweet heart," Grace finally managed with genuine sincerity, causing Serena to resume her scowl. Now she wanted to talk, when it was probably already too late for her to make amends, Serena couldn't help feeling somewhat angered by that. "Honestly mom, I think it may be too late by now," she bit out harshly, causing Grace to flinch back slightly, yet despite the harshness of her statement, there was a small part of Serena that still wanted to be able to make amends with her only parent.

"Still, I have to try before you leave me for good when your journey begins tomorrow," Grace sniffed, seeming on the verge of tears as Serena stared at her in shock. Her mom had known all along she was planning to leave and never come back when her journey began, she had been planning it for years now, but wanted to try and mend fences one last time, something she initially thought would be all for naught.

Grace merely gave a watery chuckle at Serena's gobsmacked expression, "oh don't look so surprised, I've known about your 'secret' plan to run away for a long time now, as far as I'm concerned I more than deserve it, given how much of a failure I've been as a mother in recent years," she cried as tears began rolling down her cheeks. Frankly Grace was surprised Serena had stuck around as long as she did, but knew she only did so because she wanted to wait until she was 18 and there was truly nothing she could do to stop her daughter from leaving her, like her husband had left her, all because of her selfish love for her career.

"The truth is Serena, I've been dreading this day for a long while now, and since my retirement I've had a lot of time to reflect and ponder on my failures where your upbringing was concerned," Grace admitted, causing Serena's frown to deepen, though Grace was glad to note she was still listening. "If you knew you were wrong and that you acted selfishly without even considering my opinion, then why not apologise to me, why not apologise instead of dragging this out?" Serena demanded, more curious than she was angry for some reason, wanting to know why more than she wanted to hold onto this grudge, feeling tears prickle her eyes for the first time since this difficult conversation had begun.

In all honesty, Serena half expected she'd have to argue and fight with her mom tooth and nail before finally snapping and saying she was leaving and never coming back home tomorrow, she did not expect for her mother to ever admit she was wrong and the fact that she was threw the 17 year old girl for a loop. "Because I didn't think merely saying I was sorry was going to make a difference at this point, it wouldn't take away the pain I caused you or make things alright between us," Grace finally said, and Serena nodded in partial understanding, it actually made sense for her to think like that.

"Still, you could have saved us both a lot of unnecessary stress mom. I may not have accepted your apology right away, but you could have at least tried to earn my forgiveness, at least sooner than the day before my journey began. Instead you wait, you drag out this tension between us and both of us suffer as a result. To be honest mom, there is still a part of me that wants us to be able to make amends, I hope when I leave I'll still have a home here and a real mother to come back home to, but that all depends on you right now," Serena murmured, her emotions pouring out from her so much it seemed to distort the air around them. Both she and her mom were so wrapped up in their conversation and in their emotions that neither of them noticed the house's lights flickering in response to Serena's emotions or the fact that her blue eyes were glowing with an unnaturally bright light.

"Serena, of course you will always have a home here. If you could just learn not to hate me, I suppose that is enough for now, but don't think for a second you will ever be unwelcome here," Grace informed her, her eyes red from crying as Serena nodded, waiting for the apology she knew was coming. "Serena, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything; I'm sorry I acted selfishly and forced you to leave your true home and Ash behind, I'm sorry for abruptly ending your relationship with the closest friend you've ever had, I'm sorry for not apologizing or acknowledging my own faults sooner, and most of all I'm sorry I failed you as a mother, I can only pray to Arceus that is not too late for me to earn back your trust," Grace sobbed with true sincerity, and Serena nodded again, silent tears trekking down her face the entire time she listened to her mom's heartfelt, profound apology, unable to stay mad at her anymore. No matter her faults, she did love Serena, and she was still her mother; the honey blonde trainer knew now that she had made the right call by trying to reach out to her mom one last time, instead of stalking out like she originally planned; she had followed Shauna's advice, and it had paid off in the end.

"Of course I forgive you mom, how could I not after an apology like that? While it will certainly take a while to fully re-earn my trust, I'd never be able to live with myself if I threw away my only familial bond over a grudge I held from my childhood. If you really want to re-earn my trust, you can start by actually listening to what I have to say, think you can do that," Serena sniffed, glad to see her mother was beaming with positive radiance. Grace was smiling despite all the tears in her eyes, and it was a true smile, the likes of which Serena hadn't seen since her father Richard had still been around, and she had to admit it was nice to see.

"Serena, thank you, thank you _so_ much, I promise you won't regret it! I guess I could start paying attention by asking you one thing," she whisper-shouted with pure, over-saturated euphoria, relief flooding her veins like a Kyogre's surf attack as she realized she had a chance to start over with her only daughter. Serena quirked an eyebrow, her eyes quite dry now as she came to the realization that the hard part of this conversation was over.

"Oh yeah, what question is that?" Serena wondered, a brilliant smile gracing her flawless facial features. "Do you really wish to take up Rhyhorn racing, because in all the time I've coached you I never once asked your opinion on it and listened to what you had to say? Believe me, if you wished to pursue something else I'd completely understand," Grace reassured her, and Serena blurted out her answer before her mom even fully finished her sentence. "Yes, holy Arceus, I can't stand Rhyhorn racing mom! I know it's your thing, and I like Rhyhorn well enough as a Pokemon and as our family pet, but not racing on it! To be honest I hadn't really decided what I wanted to do in life until I was 15, but now I'm sure I want to be a Pokemon performer, to compete in Pokemon Showcases and hopefully one day become Kalos queen," Serena squealed excitedly, unable to believe she and her mom were finally having this conversation. First the bizarre dream she could barely remember happened and now this, would wonders never cease?!

Grace was initially surprised by her daughter having an actual goal established for herself, having never known Serena to be overly committed to any specific path. It wasn't that Serena didn't have her share of talents; she had lots of things she was really good at; singing, dancing, writing, baking, cooking, and many other things she seemed to have almost unnatural levels of talent at. Grace didn't know where her daughter learned to cook as well as she did but the select few times she had let Serena handle the making of breakfast or their other meals, they were absolutely flawless in every detail, and Grace had been reluctant to admit her own daughter could cook better than she could. She had worried she'd be out of the job so kept Serena out of the kitchen most of the time unless she was feeling particularly worn out.

That being said, even though Serena had a lot of Arceus given talents she hadn't really considered any one of them as an actual career path and mostly just did them for fun. Grace had been initially surprised by Serena's revelation that she had been serious about performing since she was fifteen, but it made sense now that she thought about it. Serena was always into fashion and clothes, making her appearance utterly perfect, and watching the Pokemon Showcase channel every time Aria, the current Kalos queen appeared on TV. Grace had always been paying more attention than Serena gave her credit for, she just never seriously considered Serena's wishes or desires all that much, and for that she felt horrible. Now though, she felt so much better, the guilt was still there, but hopefully that would fade away in time since she was going to spend the rest of her life making it up to Serena if she had to. Her daughter was well worth the effort to her, she was worth everything to Grace.

"Well Serena, if performing is what you're going for, I'd say you're already sufficiently trained and have nothing to learn that I can teach you. I was going to try and practice with you one last time, but now that I know you don't care for Rhyhorn racing, I'm not even going to bother. You're free to spend the morning and the rest of your last day however you see fit, hang out with Shauna and Calem, have a blast, and maybe even have a party before you guys leave tomorrow. In the meantime I'll give professor Sycamore a call later today and ask him to send over the three Kalos starters for you to choose from, who knows, maybe he still has that cute Fennekin you used to play with whenever we took a trip to Lumiose city to visit him at his lab," Grace finally said, and Serena was so happy she felt like she could burst. Quickly getting up from her seat at the dining room table, Serena practically galloped the distance between her mother and her and threw her arms around Grace in the most enthusiastic hug she'd ever given her.

"Thank you mom, thank you so much, you have no idea how much all this means to me!" Serena squealed, unable to contain her giddiness and excitement at the prospect of having the whole day off her training. If she was lucky, her mom would never ask her to train with Rhyhorn ever again, and she couldn't believe she would be getting her starter Pokemon tomorrow. This all just seemed too good to be true yet somehow Serena knew this was all real.

"Just promise me one thing when you leave Serena," Grace started, and Serena nodded once she pulled away. "Anything," she said simply, and her mother beamed at her, the both of them unable to contain their joy, knowing that they could finally start to have a proper mother-daughter relationship now. "Promise me you'll call from time to time, that you'll visit, also be careful on your journey, and if you find your father, go easy on him, he had his reasons for leaving. I don't know who's reason or what that reason is, all he could tell me was that he was protecting us, though from what I have no idea, just promise me that okay," Grace pleaded imploringly, and Serena giggled cutely while sticking her tongue out at her mom like an overgrown child.

"That's actually four things, but yeah sure no problem. I can't promise I won't want to kick his ass for leaving us, no matter how good his intentions, but I'll try to refrain from doing so if I should run into him, though I'm not holding my breath," Serena promised, and Grace nodded in approval. "Good, now go have fun Serena, the day is young, and I bet Shauna would love to know you're free to spend the day with her, and Calem to. For an ex boyfriend, you two are actually handling your breakup very maturely and the fact that you remain best friends in spite of what happened means you two will truly be friends forever, don't let him or Shauna go Serena, friends like them are hard to come by in today's day and age," Grace advised her, and Serena nodded in understanding, clearing her dishes to the sink, slipping on her outdoor shoes, and closing the outside door behind her with a quiet snap.

Grace watched her go with a sigh of relief, unable to believe how this morning started, how she just somehow knew her daughter and she needed to talk about everything, before it was too late. She offered up a silent thank you to Arceus for giving her a second chance, not expecting a response, but to her astonishment she received one. "You are most welcome my child, no daughter as special as yours deserves to have both her parents ripped away from her, though her father may be returning to your lives sooner than you think," an almighty voice echoed, sounding like it was coming from inside her head. Grace merely stared around the room in shock, unable to believe what she just heard, yet given all the things her husband and that friend of his Red got up to, she wouldn't be surprised if Arceus was watching over all of them.

"Wherever you are now Richard, please keep an eye on our daughter, keep her safe, and keep it in your pants. I know what you were like before you met me and even though you pretty much dumped me, I still think of you as my husband all the time," Grace prayed silently, not sure if her wayward husband could hear her but wanting her worries and concerned to be voiced aloud, so that if any gods were listening they could potentially answer her prayers. Serena was already gone off to Shauna's house no doubt, which gave Grace plenty of time to call up professor Sycamore and chat, right before she got down to business regarding Serena's long overdue journey. Truth be told, Grace felt awful, she felt like she was only holding her daughter back, and making her wait here 8 years to start her journey was going to leave Serena very far behind most trainers her age, most of whom started their journeys at the standard age of ten. Quickly heading to her video phone to place a call, Grace got caught up in her emotions again and reflected on all the times she had failed Serena as a parent, realizing that addressing all of her issues was the only way to accept them and move on...

XXXXX

Ash was temporarily interrupted from his meditations by the voice of Arceus telepathically pervading his thought process. ' _Hey Ash, just wanted to inform you that I managed to get through to Serena, she's still living with her mom in Vaniville town, but is about to start her journey tomorrow,_ ' it informed him, and Ash's gratuitous grin widened with every word the alpha Pokemon spoke. ' _Her 18th birthday is tomorrow, I might actually be able to time this in such a way that I give her that shiny Mewtwo in time for it to be an actual birthday present. Though I am somewhat dejected she'll be 8 years behind me in our respective journeys, she wouldn't be the first novice trainer I've shown the ropes_ , _and so help me, once I see her I'm not ever letting her go again_ ,' Ash said mentally in response.

He was somewhat saddened that Serena had been unable to start her journey at the designated age of 10 years, but knew what Grace was like and how strained her relationship with her daughter had been, up until only a few moments ago. The plane itself was very close to the airport now, and the aircraft was rocking and quaking as the turbulence caused Ash and everyone else to jerk in their seats. He had been keeping tabs on Grace for the past few minutes, just after the plane began its descent towards Lumiose, but Serena's presence was like a blank slate in his infinitely vast mental presence.

Despite his semi limited ability to view images of her in his mind, Arceus had managed to enter her dreams while she slept this morning, when her complete mental invulnerability and immutability was nullified to nigh limitless levels. It managed to convince her to accept its offer of an eternal, virtually omnipotent existence, just like it convinced Ash to. The Pallet town prodigy couldn't help appreciating how Arceus went about deifying Serena, since it was different to how Ash himself was immortalized. Ash himself had the right mindset and had seen enough impossible things during his journey to accept Arceus's offer right off the Crobat, but Serena's situation was different. Even though she was technically the same age as Ash, she lacked his wisdom and maturity gained from 8 years of traveling, from seeing and accomplishing the impossible.

Ash had cheated death and saved the world over a dozen times, even before his supreme apotheosis was first initiated, even before his aura and psychic powers were awakened and mastered. The incident on New Island with Mew and Mewtwo predated the mastery of any of his abilities, as did the incident on Shamouti Island with Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Lugia. In fact, numerous major incidents in his life involving legendary Pokemon happened long before he realized that the reaper could swing its sickle at him all it wanted, before he realized he was far beyond death's stroke.

His maturity had always vastly outstripped other individuals his age, including Serena's, and he knew his travels and the knowledge and wisdom he amassed gave him certain advantages Serena never had during their respective deifications. The plane gave another unexpected massive jerk, startling Brock, Alexa, and several nearby passengers while Ash merely laughed. The Pallet town trainer had never been on a plane before but had plenty of experience flying on his Charizard, Lugia, Mega Pidgeot, and countless other flying types. Compared to that, to that feeling of wind and power rushing past his face while dozens of miles above solid ground and flying countless times the speed of sound, flying on a plane was nothing, the wind turbulences didn't unnerve him in the slightest.

He was the most excited he'd been in a long time arriving in a new region, for many different reasons. For one thing, Serena was confirmed to be in this region, and he was longing to see her again, a million different possible scenarios of their eventual reunion running through his mind. Secondly, he was planning to go all the way in a Pokemon league for the first time since the Johto Championship League finals against Lance, which he barely managed to win. Since Kalos was the last region in all of Pokeearth, he was planning to take it by storm like he had his home region and Johto, and from what he heard Diantha and the Kalos Elite Four were incredibly strong, all with teams of fully trained Pokemon and several mega evolutions in each.

Then there was his love for traveling and for seeing new places; and Kalos was as beautiful as they came, as well as the most romantic region in the entire world. Among these things were just so many other, little reasons that had Ash leaning forward in his seat, longingly anticipating his arrival in the place he knew would not only be the last stretch of his Pokemon journey but also the last region he'd need to conquer before backtracking, beating Unova, Sinnoh, and Hoenn's Pokemon leagues and finally fulfilling his dream by taking down his father in the ultimate world championship battle between father and son. He hadn't forgotten the war with Omninoir, but right now he didn't dwell on it, refusing to become an instrument of it or a puppet of fate in any way that could rain on the parade he was having now.

Another turbulence; and Ash nearly shouted aloud in ecstasy as the Pilot's voice echoed throughout the speakers on the plane. "Ladies, gentlemen, and Pokemon, we are just now landing in the Lumiose city airport, please do not forget your belongings or your Pokemon and thank you for flying with the Kanto Airline 757," the young man's voice reverberated throughout the plane as one final jerk and the unmistakable lurch of the plane touching solid ground threw everyone around in their seats.

Raichu was currently snuggled against Ash's chest, not wanting to get tossed about on the plane and get Ash in trouble for not returning it or worse, enforcing that rule and making him return it. Staring at his trainer gratefully, Raichu realized how truly lucky it was to have a trainer like Ash, recalling memories of their journey together with fondness and adoration. It had been bred from Red's Raichu, and longed to surpass its legendary father in power, fame, and fighting prowess, a feat it was paving admirably at so far.

The feeling of a plane's wheels gliding over the airstrip was similar to a car driving across the road only so much smoother, faster, and more exhilarating, in short Ash was having a blast, having always been a man of speed. No longer needing to cling to Ash like its life depended on it, Raichu returned to its spot in Ash's lap, its actions mirroring its trainer's as it stood forward sharply, its tail and head erect and looking straight ahead at the seats in front of them, its ears perked back, evidently finding the freedom of flight to be as joyous as Ash himself did.

The plane slowly grinded to a stop over the course of five or so minutes, though to Ash it felt as if every moment was lasting excruciatingly long, once again reminded of how relativity could be a bitch sometimes. Finally the plane came to its final halt and Ash unbuckled his seat belt with all due haste, Brock and Alexa smiling at his childlike enthusiasm with fondness, the both of them unable to contain their own joy. Alexa was just glad to be home after months away, and she couldn't wait to get started on the gigantic story she planned to write about Ash's journey so far, already hashing out the details and planning to describe every legendary capture he made in full detail.

Brock was just excited to be on another journey with Ash, and he was determined to prove himself to the Pokemon doctor community that he had what it took to restrain himself when in the proximity of an attractive female. Still though, all the potential nurse Joys and Officer Jennies just waiting to be courted by him, it was exceedingly difficult to keep his sexual desires in check, and even harder to resist the urge to give his usual perverted chortle at the thought of having sex with either one of them or possibly both, because after all, there was no such thing as too many women to have in a harem.

He was getting off topic though, and his heart shaped eyes returned to normal upon glimpsing Ash impatiently trying to bud ahead as everyone slowly got out of their seats. The usual pandemonium of getting off a massively crowded vehicle applied in this situation as much as it would on a bus, a passenger train, or a cruise ship, all of which Ash has taken. Brock couldn't help seeing Ash as the same enthusiastic kid he met almost 8 years ago, even now after all the crap they'd been through together, the Pallet town trainer, his little brother in everything but blood, still had some childlike tendencies and wonder left in him, and that brought another smile to Brock's face.

Finally the crowd was starting to disperse, giving them enough room to follow Ash and Raichu, who pretty much flew out of their seats, throwing all caution to the wind in their haste to take their first step onto Kalosian ground. Raichu climbed up onto its favorite perch of Ash's shoulders now that he was standing up for the first time in over 12 hours, standing at his full height of 6 and a half feet, the lightning mouse determined to avoid the footfalls of the teeming masses of people and Pokemon alike.

Finally it was their turn to exit the plane and Ash's excitement bubbled under his skin, building without any end to a virtually infinitely intense crescendo as he stepped out onto the giant stepladder to take his first breath of fresh air in the Kalos region. So much was riding on his victory over Omninoir in the upcoming, all-encompassing war and his foiling of its plans for becoming the Omniarch, but right now Ash's first priority was pretty much everything but _that_.

The grand metropolitan scenery that greeted him upon exiting the plane was one of true majesty, the Lumiose city airstrip offering a perfect view of the massive surrounding city that was known all over the world as the largest in all of Pokeearth, as well as one of the most beautiful. Skyscrapers dotted the horizon, seeming to pierce the sky as their names suggested and basking in the newly risen sun, the air was warm but blustery enough to keep one from sweating, the tall buildings offering shade from the ball of golden fire now illuminating the city of lights.

"Helllloooooooo Kalos, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town has arrived!" Ash exclaimed with all the maturity of a regular ten year old kid, earning him several stares from several passengers having already exited the plane as well as Brock and Alexa coming up behind him. In spite of him channeling his inner child, Ash glided down the stairway with flawless grace and astounding agility a person as tall as him should not possess.

This feat was a tribute to all the hard work he put in training alongside his Pokemon prior to gaining his powers plus the superhuman skill level in all fields he now possessed. He was currently limiting this power, keeping it from reaching its full, limitless capacity due to his righteous sense of fair play; however he designed these power limiters to instantly lift in any event that could spell doom for his entire world and by extension the entire Omega Omnisphere.

His ability to handle any and all situations and matters flawlessly and to always find a way out was not anywhere near as limited, in fact aside from his skill levels being limited, Ash's ability to always have the needed knowledge, skill, power, etc to deal with any situation no matter how precarious was unlimited. Nothing was truly unwinnable to him, or impossible, infeasible, unstoppable, etc; his skill level was limited now but his boundless intuitions told him to ensure those limitations were lifted immediately in any situation he couldn't handle otherwise.

He had gotten pretty good at channeling his inner child, especially since Unova when he started downplaying his skills in an effort to fool Iris and Cilan into believing he wasn't some all-powerful, Anti-God smiting entity that made the omniverse itself his bitch. Iris bought it and even called him a kid from time to time, though she did that less and less as their journey progressed and eventually ceased altogether once it became clear just how great a trainer Ash was. In the end he had the last laugh, and Iris was forced to admit that his maturity vastly outstripped her own, and she hugged him goodbye with strictly platonic intentions, Cilan adding his own commentary prior to Ash's departure from Unova.

Iris's relationship with Ash was purely one of friendship, there wasn't any strings attached and for that he was grateful. It was definitely more than he could say about Dawn or May, both of whom had gigantic crushes on Ash even to this day. In Serena's memory he had broken a lot of hearts over the years, and whether or not she displayed the same loyalty and conviction to what they had so long ago, he promised himself years ago to always love her.

He had a lot of time to think about his previous companions back in Kanto and had to force his mind back to the present, drinking in the sights as he and Raichu ran towards the airport terminal, certain customs applying here due to the number of people who smuggled illegal items into Kalos. Getting his passport ready from inside one of the smaller pouches in his Packsack, which contained a pocket dimension of near infinite capacity; containing his keepsakes, Pokedex, an infinite supply of provisions, berries, his tent with similar enchantments to his backpack, a transcendent, supercomputing laptop that had infinite amounts of free space and memory on its hard drive and could process equally limitless amounts of information, and permanent cooling charmed bottles of water for an endless supply of sustenance.

The main zipped up pouch on his Packsack contained his most infinitely spacious pocket dimension, which housed an infinite number of all his nigh omnipotent and omnipotent artefacts, weapons, and items from across the Omega Omnisphere. He had wands and staffs infused with almighty magic, swords that could cut through virtually anything and slay anything, even immortals short of omnipotent deities, light-sabers that never lost power and erected lasers as hot as the Planck temperature, almighty examples of DC's Nth metal weapons infused with infinitely powerful anti-magical properties, capable of rendering even almighty magic users crippled beyond repair, supreme versions of every weapon in every fictional reality; including millennium items infused with infinite amounts of shadow magic from the Yu-Gi-Oh universe, an almighty master emerald and seven chaos emeralds that could control the power of Chaos Energy on an infinite level, all the infinity stones and the infinity gauntlet, all of DC's power rings capable of controlling the emotional spectrum on an infinite level, all the different kinds of Kryptonite that could affect any and all versions of Kryptonian villains and heroes gone rogue in the Multiverse, and almighty versions of every other weapon, item, and artefact of every character in fictional history. In short, Ash Ketchum One Million was perfectly equipped to take down any and all possible threats and was prepared for any strategy, any situation, and any and every enemy he could possibly face, or at least as far as he could tell. He wasn't arrogant enough to think himself unbeatable in any sense, and anybody with all of his powers and none of his inhibitions would be truly terrifying to behold.

Naturally, all of these weapons were concealed in his backpack and no eye mortal or otherwise except him could see them. The secret contents of his backpack were completely, immutably, irrevocably untraceable by any and all means in totality, be it x-rays, satellites, infrared, advanced alien technology, magical means, psychic dowsing, and every other possible way the security buffs at this terminal could nab Ash and fine him for packing heat of any kind. Only all-seeing eyes, infinitely perceptive and aware beings like him, and nigh omniscient or omniscient beings could trace this stuff, and Ash's own powers would instantly go into red alert mode the moment any beings with such powers set their sights on him or the contents of his backpack.

Given that none of his warning bells were going off Ash deemed it safe to entrust his packsack to the head of security at the Kalos air terminal, holding out his passport for her to see as she took it from him with quirked eyebrows, recognizing his Pokemon rangers jacket and evidently wondering if he was old enough to even qualify. Ash merely replied with a kind, genuine smile while Raichu sighed in annoyance on his shoulder and the both of them waited for Alexa and Brock to catch up.

Evidently the electric mouse Pokemon was tired of waiting in line, and even though it and Ash were already at the front of it, this was already taking longer than either it or its trainer liked. After verifying Ash's passport and his credentials as a top agent of the Pokemon G-men, an official Pokemon ranger, and Champion level trainer, all of which were added to Ash's trainer card and Pokedex recently, the lady proceeded to speak up for the first time.

"I welcome you to the Kalos region Ash Ketchum, is your backpack all you have with you?" the woman asked in a strictly business tone, and Ash nodded calmly, not intimidated in the slightest by her no nonsense disposition as she quirked an eyebrow. "I like to travel light, not that I'm opposed to heavy duty training of course," Ash replied with a charming smile, not wanting to hold up the crowd any longer than he had to but knowing that it could take a while to verify all his credentials.

The lady nodded meekly and asked for his Pokedex if he had one, explaining that it could make this whole transaction a lot quicker, and Ash nodded quickly before reaching into his backpack and summoning his Pokedex into his hand from the infinitely vast pocket dimension. After handing her the Pokedex Ash watched her with rapt attention as she placed it on the touch screen scanner that inputted Ash's data into the computer, confirming everything his trainer card and passport said about him in seconds flat. The lady's eyes widened momentarily upon glimpsing Ash's past records, but quickly recovered like the professional she was and handed him back his Pokedex.

"Now sir, if you'll just place your backpack on that conveyer belt over there, you'll be free to go once the x-ray machine confirms your pack is safe, it is standard procedure of course, and once done you'll find the exit three doors down the adjacent hall to my desk," the lady informed him, and Ash nodded while resisting the urge to grin mischievously. He didn't like making a habit of using his powers to cheat the system, but some of the weapons in his backpack may become a necessity in the near future, and even if he had to get rid of them in some future date he could just conjure infinite more, such were his unlimited powers of creation.

"Of course," Ash smiled enthusiastically, waiting on baited breath as his backpack checked out in the x-ray machine, completely fooling the computers and everyone present about what it contained, Raichu grumbling impatiently on his shoulder, clearly eager to get their journey started. "Just relax buddy, we can't leave without Brock and Alexa anyways so we still have to wait a little longer," Ash informed his partner, causing the mouse to cry anime tears of frustration. ' _Damn it Ash, first we sit on that plane for 12 hours and now this, I want to kick some ass_ ,' Raichu whined in Pokespeech, causing Ash to chuckle as the lady called for the next person, two security guards flanking her desk in any event of misbehaviour or violence. One of them passed Ash his packsack after thoroughly scanning the contents with his own two eyes, not realizing that the pocket dimension was only accessible to him and that anyone else going through his stuff would only see his Pokedex, tent, sleeping bag, some food and water, and his keepsakes, including the unremarkable pink ribbon he wore around his wrist in every major battle he fought, his most precious item.

Deciding to sit in the waiting area until Brock and Alexa caught up, Ash saw a vending machine along one of the walls in the massive terminal, the view of the city majestic but the sight of food making his stomach growl in content. Ash had grown far beyond the very human need for sustenance, the provisions in his backpack mostly for his friends and for him in case he wanted to eat. For him, eating and drinking were only a want and not a need, his body no longer required sustenance and yet he still loved food as much as he ever did, if not more so.

The best part was, he could eat as much as he wanted now and never get fat, he could even conjure unlimited amounts of food and eat it all, and he wouldn't gain a pound. The only reason he still ate at all was due to sheer habit and pure joy and delight, for the taste and the indescribable pleasure it brought to his infinitely acute cosmic senses, and to keep up appearances, but other than that, eating and drinking were no longer a necessity for him.

Paying for a couple of chocolate bars and a Pepsi with his Pokedollar bank card, which contained infinite funds, Ash put his wallet back into his ranger jacket's zipper pocket and watched his oh so coveted items fall with a dull plunk towards the bottom of the machine. Quickly pulling them out and peeling open a chocolate bar wrapper, Ash's senses threatened to overwhelm his mind as pleasure beyond that of human capacity filled his taste buds, the chocolate bar bringing him more joy than it could any mere mortal as he became aware of Brock and Alexa's presence in the crowd, sensing them before he saw them making their way towards the end of the line where that intimating lady was situated.

Another few minutes passed him and Raichu by as Ash munched on his Crunchie bars, his starter taking a bite every now and again as the rest of his Pokemon relished the thought of being able to stretch their legs soon, their eagerness radiating from within the 30 Pokeballs and master balls attached to his champion team belt. Finally after what felt like hours, but was probably only ten minutes or so, most of the people from the Kanto airliner had come and gone, leaving only Alexa, Brock, and a few others, the both of them somehow the last people in line.

Ash quickly caught Alexa's eye and waved at her as she talked with the lady, the two of them obviously familiar with one another and the fact that Alexa was a Kalos native since the esteemed reporter took far less time to have her identity and passport verified than Ash himself did. Nevertheless, Ash was considered a guest here, and in spite of all his impressive ranks, titles, and occupations, that only meant it took longer to verify him and he figured he should have just handed her his Pokedex right off the bat.

Brock took longer than Alexa but shorter than Ash to verify, and within moments they were all set to hit the road and see the sights Lumiose city had to offer. Raichu sighed in relief as Alexa and Brock approached him and Ash at a leisurely pace. "Man Ash, you sure are a hard man to keep up with, we were almost at the back of the plane and yet you managed to fight your way almost to the front," Alexa grinned at him, causing Ash and Raichu as well to rub the back of their heads sheepishly.

"Yeah sorry about that, I guess I got a little overexcited," Ash chuckled in embarrassment, Raichu mimicking his actions to a T causing Alexa and Brock to laugh at the shared similarities between the two of them. "Anyways Ash, I bet you're excited to be here now aren't you?" Alexa asked as the three of them plus Raichu started making their way out of the terminal. Ash merely stared at her as though wondering if she even had to ask that question, and Alexa smiled. For all of his abilities as a trainer and all of his maturity, intelligence, and incredible knowledge base, it was nice for her to see that in some ways Ash still retained some of that charming childlike wonder and enthusiasm. He seemed to constantly radiate positive energy, and lots of it, to the point where it was almost impossible for her or anyone else around him to feel down and depressed. Ash had such an uplifting vibe to him it was intoxicating, and his optimism was as infinite as his powers as a Pokemon trainer. She couldn't help but wonder if there was truly anything out there that could bring him down a notch or two, but she was beginning to seriously doubt it.

"You even have to ask, what's more exciting to a Pokemon trainer than a new regional Pokemon league to conquer and new Pokemon to catch? I did tons of research on Kalos lore and all the known native Pokemon around here, and I must say I'm very impressed with it all. The number of Kalos native Pokemon is small, but all of them are unbelievably impressive in the battling circuit and from what I've read, I've got to get my hands on a Gooey Goodra, a Gale wings Talonflame, and a Protean Greninja, all of these being perhaps the only Pokemon with those abilities. The only other Pokemon aside from Greninja that can get Protean as an ability is Kecleon if I remember correctly, and from what professor Oak described, Kalos is truly a region where lack of numbers is made up for by incredible type diversity, truly one of a kind Pokemon species, and other perks I plan on utilizing in time for the Kalos league," Ash finally replied as they were exiting the terminal and seeing the humungous city before them for the first time.

Ash and Brock, who had never been to Lumiose city before, had vastly different reactions from Alexa, who merely smiled at both of them. Brock merely gazed at the massive skyscrapers, 20 story hotels, and countless different cafes, five star restaurants, and various stores leading up and down the winding junction of city streets with slacken jaws. It put every other city they'd ever seen to shame, and even Ash, who had already scanned this place with his infinite awareness and perception, couldn't help whistling appreciatively upon witnessing this place first hand, with his own two, all-seeing eyes. "Wow, this sure beats Saffron city back home eh Brock?" Ash finally asked, and Brock nodded in accord.

"And every other humungous city we've ever been too, whether it was Goldenrod, Mauville, or Sunnyshore, this place blows them all away! What about Castelia city Ash, how does it compare?!" Brock inquired, having never actually been to Unova or its biggest city but knowledgeable enough to have a general idea how big it is. Ash took a moment to consider his answer, and then proceeded to shake his head, him and Raichu exchanging glances as if coming to some unspoken agreement. "Castelia city doesn't even come close you guys. It's official, Lumiose is now the biggest, most impressive city I've ever been to," Ash finally admitted, stunned into awed silence upon tapping into his infinitely vast consciousness and using it to scan the city from side to side, getting a proper feel of it, its total population, and attaining all the information tourists would want to know.

"That's right Ash, Lumiose is revered as the largest city in all of Pokeearth, in all six of the main regions, it is home to..." Alexa started, but Ash interrupted her, coming out of his omnipresent trance. "Over 4 million people and Pokemon, including another few thousand Espurrs or so in the alleyways alone, trumping Castelia city by at least a million," Ash finished for her, not only knowing exactly what she was going to say the instant her mind told her what to say, but also knowing the statistics himself thanks to his momentary perfect mental awareness of the entire city. Alexa nodded at him, numb with shock, causing Ash to chuckle in spite of himself, "I read the post cards, the brochures, and did all of my research on the Kalos region before coming here, remember? That includes any tourist information, all the sites I could visit, and everything like that experienced travelers love seeing," Ash reminded her, and she had the good grace to look sheepish, eyes widening and cheeks flushing at her own forgetfulness, looking quite adorable if he was being totally honest.

They continued walking down what Ash knew was the Centrico Plaza, the place where Lumiose tower and the Lumiose city gym was located. He did plan on challenging the gym leader there when all was said and done, but first he had some errands to run, like registering for the Pokemon league, but also visiting professor Sycamore and having his national Pokedex upgraded yet again to include the Kalos region Pokemon. It was both irritating and enjoyable to know that every time he was close to catching every Pokemon registered in the national Pokedex, news of another far away region would reach his ears and he'd have yet another Pokemon league to conquer and more Pokemon to catch.

Professor Oak was privy to all the information and the full version of the national Pokedex long before Ash's time, and Ash himself had been prepared for his entire journey since long before he even turned ten, learning everything he could in every field since the day he could walk and talk, such as learning how to cook from his mom and amassing all the knowledge professor Oak was capable of teaching him. The aged professor actually admitted to teaching Ash everything he knew at the time, his astonishment with Ash's brainpower and his ability to learn new things knowing no bounds in the years that followed. So Ash knew all along that Kalos would be the last region, the last upgrade to his national Pokedex, the last stretch of his Pokemon journey. Still, it was nice of people to tell him about these things, these places he pretended to never hear about before, even in spite of the fact that he'd been planning to go to these places all along, something his mom always seemed to understand.

During each interval between regions, Ash would take the time to visit his mom and all his Pokemon at Oak's lab, sometimes for weeks at a time, but he always had a plan for the next region for him to conquer, and even had the foresight to go in order from Kanto to the region furthest away from it, the one all the way on the other side of the world, the infamous Kalos region. All of this he had already known from a very early age, known that there were actually 721 Pokemon species altogether in the national Pokedex, yet every time he played the dumb, clueless kid flawlessly. He felt great joy from messing with people for some reason, for making them believe him to be some run of the mill kid with a bit of brains and no idea where his future was headed, but Ash knew that his destiny was set in stone, that his induction into the World Championship tournament and his epic final battle with his all-powerful father was only a matter of time.

People always laughed at him or tried to humor him when he said he'd become the new Pokemon Master, that he'd defeat Red and become the new world champ, they thought he was just some kid with a pipe dream, but none of them knew the real Ash. Even those who knew who his father was though still didn't think he'd ever beat his old man, but like in Greek mythology where Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon managed to overthrow Kronos, the son would one day surpass the father in this world too, though at least Fredrick Ketchum wasn't some evil Titan lord of time. Ash had been planning all of this since he could talk, since he first discovered how smart and unique he was compared to Leaf, Gary, and the select few other kids he grew up with in Pallet town.

Now here in Lumiose city, Ash would receive the final upgrade to his national Pokedex, each region's Professor controlling a certain portion of the national Pokedex's data, all the information that corresponded with that region and all its native Pokemon, and updating that data as new information came along. Professor Sycamore and all the other professors seemed as fascinated by Ash as professor Oak himself was. Even though the Kanto professor had gotten used to some of Ash's more fascinating captures, the Pallet town trainer couldn't count on two hands the number of times he'd almost given Oak a heart attack upon realizing that his sponsored student had caught yet another giant or legendary Pokemon. Yet in spite of all the shock the aged professor endured at the hands of Ash, he was still as young at heart and as healthy as ever, even now at past fifty years of age.

Upon visiting Oak's laboratory after his journey in Unova Ash and professor Oak had discussed the possibility of Ash taking all several hundred of his Pokemon with him on his journey, and Ash had promised to think about it. Truth was, his Pokemon all missed him constantly and wished to accompany him indefinitely, and in all honesty he missed them as well. He was more than capable of properly caring for and training them all; and not being able to do so was the only reason most trainers were only allowed to carry 6 Pokemon.

Some champion level trainers were permitted to build teams of as many Pokemon as they want and to carry all of their Pokemon with them. Ash himself had every fully evolved and legendary non Kalos Pokemon, with the exception of Ho-Oh; he would need a humungous bag to carry that many Pokeballs, even when shrunken down to their miniaturized forms and rendered light as a feather, but once again he was lucky enough to own a backpack with infinite space on the inside. He would need time to weigh all his options, but professor Oak reassured him he was done actively researching Ash's Pokemon.

So Ash had a decision to make about whether or not he wanted all 300 or so of his total number of Pokemon, more than two thirds of them being fully trained level 100 Pokemon now and all of them at level 100 regardless. In spite of filling the national Pokedex several times over, nearly all of Ash's Pokemon were now fully evolved, with the exception of his Mega Slowbro, which like his Slowking was actually infinitely fast due to being fully trained. So his total number of Pokemon obtained actually didn't match the number of species registered in the entire Pokedex. For now though, he was just content carrying his current champion level team and adding his new Kalos region Pokemon to it, having already gotten Lance's permission to carry all his Pokemon with him. Ash could now carry more than the standard 30 Pokemon permitted for a champion level trainer to have on his roster at any given time. As a matter of fact he could now carry as many as he wanted; such was the immense clout of the Pokemon G-men, whose leader pulled some strings for his top agent. He knew it was only a matter of time before he decided to carry all of his Pokemon at Oak's lab with him to, to continue their training and prepare all of them for the inevitable showdown with the most dangerous creature in the omniverse.

"So Ash, do you know where to go from here to find professor Sycamore's lab, I still need to return to the Lumiose press building and publish your story," Alexa informed him, jarring Ash out of his reverie as his cosmic awareness informed him of the fact that they were now standing outside the Centrico Plaza Pokemon Center. "Yeah, Brock and I should be okay, eh Brocko?" Ash replied with his trademarked goofy grin that flashed all of his perfect teeth while Brock nodded in agreement. Yet another benefit of Ash's new powers, always looking like a Greek god, supernaturally attractive on a near flawless level, recently Ash had learned to appreciate this power more and more even despite toning it down, already contemplating the many possible applications of being able to look more annoyingly gorgeous than Adonis, the most attractive man in all of Greek Mythology, or be some kind of male version of Aphrodite.

Alexa blushed just as he knew she would, and she would probably be doing a whole lot more than merely blushing if Ash used the full extent of this ability. With just his mere presence, Ash was capable of rendering every woman in the world without free will. If he wasn't constantly consciously aware of this power and didn't take certain steps to tone it down, he could enslave every member of the opposite sex and completely entrance them with his boundless allure. Luckily for them though Ash was only interested in pursuing one woman; and he knew that in order for it to be true love it would be unforgivable for him to resort to tricks and use his abilities to turn Serena into a helplessly lovesick zombie, even if committing such an atrocity was more than within his capabilities.

' _God, what is wrong with me, just watching Alexa blush at my grin caused my mind to envision all that junk? I swear, if Serena falls in love with me like I've always hoped it won't be through any power of mine, in order for it to be real she needs to do so of her own free will, and no matter how much her possible rejection may hurt me I would never resort to committing such an atrocity, since it violates the no stripping people of free will clause, but mainly because it would be wrong on so many levels,_ ' Ash thought as he watched Alexa part from their group and walk a little further down the avenue, disappearing up an alleyway that Ash knew was a shortcut to where she worked. Ash couldn't help smiling at her eagerness to tell his story to the world, he had given her the story of the century with that article about him and as far as reporters went she was at least clean. Some of those vultures he heard about, read about, or seen in movies came to mind when thinking of reporters and newspaper writers but Alexa wasn't what one would call a stereotypical reporter and interviewing media worker.

He knew he wouldn't regret his decision to trust her with his story, he just hoped it was as well received by the people as he and Alexa hoped when she let him look over her notes and the rough draft of the paper on him she intended to publish. It was one thing to tell the world of his insane, mind boggling accomplishments, it was another to gauge the potential reaction of the world population before that story was ever read, and frankly Ash was still a little nervous. He had been using his infinite awareness to get an idea of how the general population may potentially react to someone like him but he had no way of knowing how most of those people would react to such a situation if they had never been in a similar one before, and a lot of them haven't been, not yet. In simpler terms, for all he was capable of perceiving and despite being tapped into the goings on throughout all of eternity, Ash was still limited by what he knew and understood, and even with his impressive knowledge base there was still a lot he didn't know.

He knew he was taking a huge leap of faith letting the whole world know just what Ash Ketchum had been up to since the age of ten, and despite all his powers he still wasn't completely sure this was the right move, but Arceus and all his other Pokemon supported his decision, so surely it wouldn't be too bad, would it? Not wanting to tempt fate by dwelling on this question, Ash focused on what was going on outside his internal mind, his awareness of everything taking a back seat in favor of his eyes, ears, and his other primary senses, Raichu grumbling anxiously on his shoulder as Brock was just getting around to looking at him oddly. The Pallet town trainer quickly realized his brain was probably processing thoughts millions of times faster than any human, because he thought so many things in such a small amount of time.

"You coming Ash, I can't wait to see Nurse Joy," Brock proclaimed with hearts in his eyes, and Ash shook his head morosely while Raichu merely snickered. The both of them followed Brock through the automatic doors leading to the all too familiar settings only slightly less homey to Ash than his own home in Pallet town. Honestly the number of nights he'd spent in Pokemon centers were too numerous for him to even bother trying to count, and even with his eidetic memory perfectly placing every night he slept in these places he wasn't even sure there was a calculable number for it anymore.

The layout of this Pokemon center was much the same as the ones in Unova, a small motel full of rooms, attached to the main building and snaking down a hallway adjacent to Nurse Joy's desk at the back of the main lobby; the Pokemon treatment rooms behind the door nearest her desk, the Pokemon healing machine flanking its other side, a fancy machine that could fully heal any low level Pokemon of any and all minor injuries. The cafe and sitting rooms were near the doorway and gave a view of the street through the windows at the front of the building, and the kitchen directly across the center from the cafeteria that served three meals a day.

"Welcome to the Pokemon center you two, do either one of you need your Pokemon checked up?" Nurse Joy greeted them in her usual warm manner. Brock immediately went into a lovesick frenzy, leaving a trail of dust in his wake and covering the distance between himself and the shocked nurse at borderline superhuman speeds. Ash and Raichu watched in earnest as the old pervert did his usual confessions of undying love and his level 100 Toxicroak appeared out of its Pokeball, poison jabbed Brock up the arse, and dragged him away with one hand.

Ash rolled his eyes while Raichu snickered once more, Nurse Joy gazing at Brock in concern, evidently wondering if he was okay. "Yeah, he'll be okay in a few minutes, Brock's pretty used to it by now," Ash reassured her, answering her unasked question as the pretty, pink haired nurse nodded understandingly. "Anyways Nurse Joy, I don't need my team checked over as of yet. I actually have quite a bit of faith in their ability to self heal and their immunity to any and all sicknesses and diseases, due to them being fully trained and all," Ash informed her with proud satisfaction, unable to keep himself from getting boastful over all the hard work his Pokemon put in their training.

Nurse Joy nodded once more, eyes widening a fraction of a centimeter upon seeing the 30 Pokeballs and master balls securely fastened to his champion level belt. " _I am actually here to register for the Kalos league Mademoiselle_ ," Ash added in perfect Kalosian French, and Nurse Joy bolted with shock upon realizing an obvious non Kalos native could speak its first language so fluently. " _Right away sir, if you would be so kind as to hand over your Pokedex_ ," Joy instructed in equally clear French, blushing slightly as the young man flashed her an inhumanly perfect, dazzling smile, his amber eyes shining with an unnaturally bright light while passing over his soon to be updated national Pokedex, once he paid Sycamore a visit that is.

Joy took his Pokedex with her usual kind smile, placing it on the high tech touch screen sitting on her desk, the both of them as well as Raichu and Brock watching as Ash's information was displayed on the giant screen monitor behind her desk, his picture appearing on it and a mechanical, robotic voice informing them that Ash Ketchum from Pallet town was now registered for the Kalos league, number of Kalos badges standing at exactly zero.

"There you are mister Ketchum, you're all set for the Pokemon league challenge, please take this customary badge case and just know there are only 8 official Pokemon gyms in the Kalos region," Joy informed him while a Wigglytuff brought him his badge case. " _Wiggly, Wiggly, Wigglytuff_ ," it greeted him happily, and Ash nodded in response to its greeting without thinking, though luckily for him Joy didn't notice he was speaking with Wigglytuff and just assumed he was nodding at her statement.

"Understood nurse Joy, say, I've been meaning to ask you or one of your family members this for a while now. Do you ever have difficulty finding a semblance of diversity and individuality in your life, what with every one of your cousins running the same job and looking almost identical to you and every other nurse Joy in the world?" Ash wondered in a conversational manner after accepting the Kalos badge case from Wigglytuff, while also wondering to himself why there were only the standard 8 Pokemon gyms in this region.

Nurse Joy beamed at his query, evidently having never really been asked that question before and pleased to be able to answer it. "Yeah, it almost always feels like I'm part of a matching set, and I'm sure my cousins feel the same way sometimes, which is just another one of our many similarities I suppose," she replied sweetly, and Ash gave a wild, almost maniacal grin. "Ah, quite the conundrum if I do say so myself, trying to find some way to separate yourself from the rest of your kin in even the simplest, most surreptitious manner while part of you embraces the common bonds that ties you and your family members together, such conflicting emotions are mutually self contradicting, yet one cannot deny that contradictions exist in our world," Ash reflected with maddening wisdom, causing Joy to stare at him in apparent fascination, before she recovered and mentioned that she should probably get back to work.

Ash smiled at her again before joining Brock at the cafeteria by the windows, he had a hankering for French toast with maple syrup, the French romantic atmosphere of the Kalos region seeping into his cosmic scaled senses and his infinitely perceptive mind. It was amazing how such abstract notions could be considered an atmosphere, yet thanks to his mastery of aura on an infinite level Ash knew there were forms of energy most humans were not acutely aware of yet could sense on a subconscious, almost extrasensory level. Examples of this included when people could somehow sense they were being watched, or sneezing when someone was gossiping about you behind your back, or how people believed that you could dream of anyone who was thinking about you at that exact moment during your sleep. The human mind was far more powerful and tapped into various energies than most people were even consciously aware of, in fact Ash would go so far as to say that everyone had a certain level of psychic potential, but whether or not they tapped into that potential at any point in their lives would depend entirely on how open minded they were.

He was jarred out of his silent musing by a waiter coming to take his and Brock's order, the man taking Brock's order before turning to Ash and Raichu, both of whom waited eagerly in their booth. "And what for you monsieur?" the man asked in a thick French accent, which Ash understood perfectly due to his Omni-Linguality. "I'll take three XXXL orders of fries and four full pound cheeseburgers, oh and a bottle of ketchup for Raichu," Ash requested while the waiter's jaw dropped and Brock merely chuckled, having had years to grow accustomed to Ash's insatiable appetite and knowing his psychic and spiritual powers enhanced his metabolism to superhuman levels. What he didn't know was that Ash's body no longer required sustenance of any kind, though secretly the Pallet town trainer still saw himself as a human in a lot of ways, still not completely used to the fact that he didn't need to eat or breathe oxygen like humans and still doing both out of sheer habit, much like his Raichu or any of his other 200 or so fully trained Pokemon, all of whom ate food only for pleasure and not out of necessity.

"Of course monsieur, your order will be ready in ze next half hour or so," the man informed him with uncertainty, clearly unsure as to whether or not any human was capable of eating that much food in one sitting and for all intents and purposes, he was probably right to assume that it wasn't, but once again Ash had to remind himself that he wasn't really human anymore. " _Merci monsieur, Pardonnez-moi de vous choquer avec les profondeurs incompréhensibles de mon appétit._ _Thank you mister, I'm sorry to shock you with the incomprehensible depths of my appetite. Rai, Raichu, Rai, cha, Rai Raichu,_ " Ash replied in English, French, and Raichu's Pokespeech simultaneously; Brock, the French waiter, and his electric type starter able to hear him speaking in all of their first languages simultaneously. None of them were aware that Ash was speaking a universal language understandable by all sentient beings at once, regardless of their ethnicity, cultures, customs, etc.

Ash thought all of this in the time it took for the waiter to finish taking their order and return to the kitchen to inform the chefs of his order, the Pallet town trainer ordering enough food to practically feed a third world country. He hated to admit it, but compared to people like Totality's Mightiest Heroes he was still a rank amateur at using these powers of his, and from what he had heard, some of them had been at it for infinite amounts of time, a literal eternity of saving the Omega Omnisphere, of being among the greatest heroes ever conceptualized or imagined by any mind. If he ever got a chance to meet them, he'd love to know how they achieved some of the impossible feats they did, and maybe get some advice on how to deal with his current situation with Omninoir, and his moral dilemma regarding any minor misuse of his powers to get what he wanted in life without actually stripping people or his Pokemon of free will or the opportunity to better themselves. In fact, there were all kinds of questions he wanted to ask them, so many things he still had to learn, and TMH could probably give him many of the answers he sought for the past year.

It wasn't that Arceus or Mew weren't good at giving him some much needed council, but in spite of being gods they were never human at any point in their lives; they were Pokemon, and they didn't always understand the complex emotions of humanity. Totality's Mightiest Heroes on the other hand, were all capable of utilizing human forms and some of them were even nigh omnipotent demigods with a certain amount of human blood in their veins, enhanced to infinite levels by the godly side of their parentage but still somewhat human. Ash had a feeling if he were ever given the honor of meeting them; they'd be able to give him some sound advice regarding most of his current issues and the apparent pointlessness of _his_ kind of existence.

"You alright man, you seem like you've got a lot on your mind?" Brock asked him, jarring Ash out of his reverie for the second time since he entered this Pokemon center. "Yeah I'm alright Brock, just thinking about a lot, all the Pokemon I'm planning on catching, about Serena, and about going all the way in a Pokemon league for the first time since Johto," Ash replied airily, and Brock nodded mutely, giving Ash a chance to gather his thoughts.

"I honestly don't even really know why I bother anymore Brock, it's bad enough over 200 of my total number of Pokemon are fully trained to level infinity, but Mew and Arceus alone are omnipotent in every sense of the word when fully trained, and powerful enough to take a shit on every other trainer's Pokemon in the totality of existence. Is there really any trainer on this earth who can really battle me at my best, or compete with the literal gods I've assembled on my current champion level team?" Ash continued in a pensive manner, not boosting but instead genuinely curious if there was any point in pursuing his dream.

"Sounds to me like you're getting ahead of yourself Ash; you're not exactly world champion yet are you?" Brock said, not really asking a question as Ash furrowed his eyebrows. "I may not be my father's successor yet but I might as well be, honestly being able to use Pokemon who are naturally obscenely powerful whenever I want to completely own the competition makes me feel like achieving my goal is ultimately meaningless. What's the point in all of this training if I could just use my Arceus, Mew, Mega Mewtwo, Mega Rayquaza, Primal Groudon and Kyogre, Kyurem, and my other most powerful legendary Pokemon to stamp out all my opponents as easily and effortlessly as squishing an ant with a boot? I guess that's what has me so reflective lately Brock, I just don't know what to do anymore, I don't know if there are any more suitable challenges for me to overcome as I am now," Ash admitted truthfully, having used Arceus and Mew's well known omnipotence as a discrete means to voicing fears and concerns that concerned him as well as his most powerful Pokemon. Hopefully Brock was able to give him some older brotherly advice without reading between the lines and realizing Ash was talking about himself as much as he was his Pokemon.

In truthfulness, listening to Ash admit all this caused Brock to ponder a lot of things he'd never even considered before. Ash always seemed so positively radiant and filled with endless optimism that he didn't stop to think how the young adult might have been secretly worried or that even Ash Ketchum was prone to doubting himself. It would make sense for Ash to be worried about his ultimate goal being meaningless now that he had Pokemon who could, by their fundamental nature, boundlessly achieve absolutely anything and everything in an instant. Against powers like those of a high level Mew or Arceus, what chance did any other trainer on this earth have? He knew that Ash's Arceus had gone to great lengths to demote itself and its powers in the eyes of the entire human race, hell its descendent from the Jewel of Life incident was young enough and lacking enough in experience to demote the powers of its kind all by itself. What most people didn't realize is that there was more than one Arceus, more than one of each and every legendary Pokemon, and the Arceus that Ash captured was the original one, the one who forged the universe from out of nothing, who created the original powers and all the Pokemon in existence, including the first Mew and all other members of its kind. Due to being the original Arceus, Ash's was fully trained and thus was omnipotent, but only a handful of people knew any of this, and Ash was planning on making its supposed boundaries very clear.

It was an elaborate plan, and Brock still didn't fully understand why Ash was going to such lengths to get his image, his Pokemon, and his powers around Kalos and by extension the entire world, but had learned long ago to trust Ash's judgement. When Ash was ready to tell him the full story, about what was really going on, he would when he was ready, on his terms not on Brock's or anyone else's. For now though, Brock vowed to give Ash some much needed backup and to cover for him should he disappear to do whatever it is he needed to do without fear of scrutiny. It was the true test of whether or not he trusted Ash completely, knowing that he was keeping the full, unabridged version of the truth from him, for whatever reason, but still being able to look him in the eye and trust him completely. It was truly a testimony to Ash and Brock's unbreakable brotherly bond.

"Look Ash, I can't imagine what it must be like to live your life, but there is one thing I can relate to and that's feeling like everything in life is ultimately pointless. Sometimes when I was raising my younger siblings without my parents I felt like it was pointless to keep wishing for my dad to come back, like everything was for naught and I'd be stuck raising my entire family by myself. The thing is, you got to keep pursuing happiness, and remember that nothing in life is truly pointless, not if you learn something from it. You once told me that, remember, you may be the most powerful Pokemon trainer ever to walk this earth, but that doesn't mean you're unbeatable, and I'm sure that somewhere out there, is someone with strength enough perhaps to challenge even you. Nothing is impossible Ash you taught me that, so don't think for a second that you being beaten by anyone is an absolute impossibility, because that would be completely arrogant and a very bold claim!" Brock exclaimed with all the wisdom of an ancient sage, for which Ash was very grateful. Once again, old Brocko came to the rescue, and knew exactly what to say to make Ash feel better. Whether he knew it or not, he helped Ash to better deal with his own existence, and the Pallet town trainer knew he could always count on the older man to lend him a helping hand when needed. For all his abilities, even Ash sometimes needed a little help, and he needed to remind himself that in spite of his supreme godhood, his humanity was his real power and what made these powers of his worth having in the end.

"Thanks Brock, man, when did you get so smart," Ash chuckled while Brock looked bashful, Raichu snickered beside him, and the waiter brought them their orders all in the same timeframe. Ash's order was so ridiculously huge that they had to slide two tables end to end in order to fit it all in one place, and without any further preamble Ash and Raichu began tucking in with all the table manners and subtleties of a ravenous group of Snorlax.

Brock alternated between eating his own dish and watching Ash and Raichu in amusement while they competed in yet another of their famous eating contests. Despite the difference in size, Raichu's metabolism was as infinitely fast and strong as Ash's own, never burning through its limitless energy levels but enhancing its capacity for food intake to infinite levels. Sustenance may no longer be a requirement, but Ash and Raichu's limitless powers ensured they could still eat as much as they want without ever having to worry about feeling too full or even getting fat, while at the same time never truly feeling hungry. They were permanently, immutably satisfied, standing somewhere between hungry and stuffed like a turkey for the rest of their lives, never one or the other, just right. For them, food was not a necessity, but rather a pleasure, and best part was, it would never, ever be a guilty pleasure, no matter what they ate or how much they ate.

Long story short, Raichu fared every bit as well as his trainer as he literally dove into one of the bags of French fries, which were practically the size of garbage bags and filled to the rim with golden brown, deep fried pieces of heaven. Brock had stopped asking himself where Ash and Raichu put all their food a long time ago, but he couldn't help but wonder, given Ash's strict militant diet for all his Pokemon as well as himself, why he was veering off his usual nutrition plans by stuffing himself full of cheese burgers and deep fried French fries.

As if somehow knowing what was troubling Brock, Ash paused between bites and swallowed before speaking, perfectly well mannered despite the fact that he had ordered enough food to feed a third world country, his table manners and etiquette as sophisticated as the fanciest of elderly couples or whatever the stereotype for that was now. "Truth is Brock, once they're fully trained like Raichu right there, I honestly don't give a damn anymore. Fully trained Pokemon have an infinite metabolic rate and are able to metabolize infinite amounts of energy, no matter what kind of energy it may be. Due to also having infinite HP they're infinitely healthy, can never get sick, and are immune to any and all sicknesses, diseases, poisons aside from infinitely toxic poison type attacks, and any and all other afflictions regardless of what they ingest or how much. It's not just Raichu I extend this courtesy to either Brock, any Pokemon I fully train is welcome to eat whatever they want and as much as they want, and the best part is they'll never gain a pound nor suffer from food poisoning. I guess you could call it a perk of being the supreme paragon of any Pokemon species," Ash explained knowledgeably, and Brock nodded, still not completely sure as to why Ash himself was veering from his usual diet but smart enough to understand the gist of what the Pallet town trainer had explained to him.

"That still doesn't explain why you're pigging out right beside him," Brock mentioned casually, ignoring the offended 'cha' from Raichu and observing the fact that Ash was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Well I... I burn a lot of calories Brocko; even without my absolute willpower, psychic abilities, and spiritual energies putting a strain on my physical form I still need to eat enough to sustain me through my Pokemon's training. Right now, I've got a lot on my to do list and I just don't really have the time or the patience to cook something moderately healthy for me," Ash lied convincingly, and Brock nodded in understanding, though he was surprised by how much more laid back Ash was about his brutal training regimes lately. Truth be told, Ash just no longer cared what he put in his body, knowing deep down that it no longer mattered what he ate or how much, not anymore. Such were his powers that most of the bare necessities of life needed for any human to survive were no longer at all necessary in his case.

Lunch beyond that point was an uneventful affair, and Ash finished his meal in half the time that Brock finished his, despite the latter's meal being less than half the size. Raichu had long since squirted an entire bottle of ketchup down his throat, smacking his lips and giving a contented 'chaa,' mimicking his trainer's actions and taking only a few seconds to digest everything before they were ready to go, Brock merely following after them in a stupor, unable to believe how quickly their bodies had metabolized the amount of food they consumed. He merely shrugged however and decided not to dwell on it, frankly there were most likely things about Ash that would never properly add up.

"So where to Ash," Brock inquired, wanting to focus on continuing his journey with his oldest travel buddy and not dwell on questions he couldn't answer. Ash considered Brock's query with a longing sigh, knowing exactly what the older man was thinking and wanting so badly to just sit him down and tell him everything, but it wasn't that simple. Arceus warned him that the attention one gets from being considered an analogue of capital-G God could be extremely overwhelming.

He and Alexa knew Ash was bending the truth about Arceus and Mew's full capabilities and understood his reasoning for doing so, but would they still understand if Ash admitted to being in the same boat himself. They knew his willpower, spiritual energies, and psychic powers were all infinite in both depth in magnitude, but while this may afford him with various absolute super powers, they did not in fact gain him total omnipotence, at least not all by themselves. Ultimate power was actually a highly abstract notion, and could vary in definition from universe to universe, from person to person. Ash himself had every form, every possible and impossible variant alike of ultimate, absolute, or unlimited power, and was all-powerful in every sense and aspect, so he understood better than anyone how abstract the term itself could be and how many countless limitless powers there were, out there in the whole stinking Omega Omnisphere. He had explained this to Brock and Alexa, and both seemed to get the gist of what he was trying to convey, but Ash had the feeling there were things about him, about what he could do that they'd never fully understand.

Quickly reminding himself that Brock was asking them where they should be heading, Ash's gaze shifted towards Prism tower, which was barely over a kilometer from where they now stood in the Centrico Plaza Pokemon Center, perfectly visible even above the neighboring skyscrapers that looked down on the entire neighborhood from countless different spots. "I say we go check out the Lumiose city gym right now, then pay a visit to professor Sycamore after, what do you say Brock?" Ash wondered excitedly, and Brock flashed him a toothy grin, clearly in full support of that idea and eager to see how Ash's battling may have improved since last they traveled together.

Without any further preamble Ash and Raichu were off, leaving Brock behind in a trail of dust as the Pewter city trainer hurried off to try and keep up with his friends, not realizing that both of them were already at Prism tower over a kilometer away. In the very heart of Lumiose city, Ash and Raichu both let out a low whistle, quite impressed with the vastness and majesty of the gigantic, thousand foot white tower standing before them, the sunlight glancing off it and giving it a yellowish sheen, the first 50 stories or so made up of pane glass windows, which one could use to see inside the many tourist shops and attractions indoors, the Lumiose city gym actually just one of the many owners of this amazing piece of architecture. All around them the Centrico Plaza was made up of white marble tiles, the sidewalks or roads or whatever they were casting a blinding glare as the sun hit them just right.

There were people and Pokemon everywhere, and to Ash's all seeing eyes he saw indoors and scanned the entire interior of the vast tower before him as well as the sites and scenery around him and his trusty partners. "You guys gotta see this!" Ash exclaimed in a loud, emphatic voice, speaking to all of the 29 Pokemon tucked away in Pokeballs and master balls attached to his belt. ' _Yeah, it's pretty impressive, that's all I can say, maybe Ash will let us stretch our legs in time for the gym match_ ,' Raichu announced in Pokespeech, also addressing his fellow team members, knowing that thanks to the all-powerful telepathic link Ash maintained between him and all of them, not a single thing said or thought by any of them would be hidden from the others unless they wanted them to be.

Inside his Pokeballs, Ash could feel each and every one of his Pokemon trying to plead their case on why they should get to battle instead of the others. Arceus and his shiny, fully trained Mew kept a tight lid on their excitement, but Ash could sense they were as excited to see the sunshine and the daylight as the rest of his team, and Ash momentarily felt a little guilty for not letting them out sooner, but then realized that was silly, because after all this was probably the one place in the entire city where all of his Pokemon could be let out in broad daylight and still be comfortable, especially since his giant Dragonite, Primal Groudon, Kyogre, Mega Rayquaza, and many other humungous Pokemon were on his current roster.

' _So Ash, what type of Pokemon does this gym specialize in_?' Ash's giant Dragonite wondered conversationally, speaking up for the first time since they all arrived in Kalos, all of his Pokemon evidently sensing he was going to be choosing some of them for the up and coming gym battle at the top of Lumiose tower. "Electric if I remember my studies correctly," Ash answered, no doubt in his mind he was recalling correctly as Raichu rolled its eyes at its trainer's false humility.

Anyone who knew Ash Ketchum One Million at all knew he had total recall about every detail of his life, no matter how small or minute, his mind was absolute in willpower, his memory completely eidetic, and on top of all that his intellect and psychic powers were equally flawless and infinite. So why did he act like his mind wasn't as perfect as it was, simple, because playing dumb was oftentimes a very strategic ploy, and would give any opponent who didn't know him like his friends knew him a disadvantage when they found out the hard way that they'd seriously underestimated the unlimited powers of his brain, and the absolute intellect of the young man standing before them. So yeah, he'd gotten pretty accustomed to playing down himself and his vast, omnipotent talents, and did a pretty good job at it to, at least until it was too late for any opponent in the battle field to realize how stupid they'd been to consider him weak by any means.

' _So electric types huh, let me at em Ash, I'll stomp em real good_ ,' Groudon reassured him, and Ash contemplated the idea of using any of his fully trained Pokemon in any run of the mill gym battle, wondering if that was even at all fair or if he was taking far too much advantage of all the experience he'd gathered as a champion level trainer? Ultimately he was only here to check the gym out for now, and maybe challenge it later with some new Pokemon he'd caught in Kalos, in all honesty winning gym matches would be far too easy with even just one of the Pokemon on his current team, never mind 3 or however many were permitted by this gym's rules of engagement.

"Don't worry guys, I'll let you all out for some fresh air soon enough, but if I use any one of you in a gym battle the end result would be meaningless, I mean there wouldn't be any challenge in it for you or for me. I'll tell you what, if all goes well when I beat the first gym in Kalos, I'll start hunting for some potential champion level trainers for us to mow down, but until then, I wanna use the gyms to train any new Kalos Pokemon I catch, and I want you guys on board in case things go sour or just be there to help my new Pokemon train," Ash explained guiltily, hating the fact that he was restricting his current team's opportunities for battles but also wanting to give his new catches a chance to shine. Lord knows his Mew, Arceus, or two Mewtwo in either their Mega Y or Mega X forms could curb stomp pretty much any competition, but add to that his Kyurem, Mega Rayquaza, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Giant Dragonite, and his other mega evolved, legendary, or giant Pokemon and he had what could be considered a supreme Pantheon of deities or something, a collection of gods capable of controlling the various forces of nature or even reality on an almighty level. Hell his Arceus and Mew were _so_ powerful that they shat on pretty much everything and anything else in totality.

' _Oh man, I was kinda hoping this gym leader would be strong enough to handle me, if only just a tiny bit,_ ' Groudon whined like an overgrown prehistoric child. "I'm sorry Groudon, and I'm sorry guys, but you're all just too fucking strong for just any gym leader, and I won't take the easy way out by using Pokemon that are naturally obscenely powerful. I'm sorry, but that includes you as well Raichu. I don't think it would be fair to any new Pokemon I catch for all of you to take the spotlight and shine when you've all done so before, but don't worry; I always pull through for you guys in the end, don't I?" Ash promised them, his infinite awareness telling him that two people were approaching the entrance to the tower where he stood but he just stood there, ignoring it while he was wrapped up in his own head.

' _Ash it's okay, we understand how you feel about using us against weaker opponents. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we understand what it feels like to walk as gods among men, or as the Zeniths of an entire species or race,_ ' Arceus wisely advised him, and all of his Pokemon agreed, albeit some of them did so grudgingly, but all of them understood Ash's position and his reasoning. "Thanks for understanding you guys," Ash whispered with a grateful smile, his attention being drawn from Raichu and his other Pokemon as a loud, childlike voice spoke up, very clearly and abruptly addressing him and his orange starter.

"Oh it's so cute, quick Clement, come look at this little Raichu," the voice said as the little girl it belonged to came around the corner into the sheltering, shady entryway, appearing in full view for the first time since she spoke up only seconds ago, having noticed Raichu and Ash before they noticed her, or so she thought. She was a small child, probably no more than 9 years old and bobbing up and down on her feet in anticipation and excitement, gazing at Raichu with adoring, sparkling light blue eyes that reminded Ash fondly of Serena, her yellow blonde hair short and sticking to the side with a darker yellow pin holding it aloft at the scalp. Her choice in clothing was quite stylish, but then again everything in Kalos was true to its stylish stereotyping. A brown tea shirt with a simple black ribbon attached to the collar line, a yellow satchel strapped to her shoulder, a white puffed out skirt of sorts, most likely flannel or some similar material, and brown shorts that stopped just above her knees, her pink dress shoes completing the ensemble. She was short as well, barely coming up past Ash's waist, but she radiated enough positive energy and enthusiasm to nearly send Ash's aura off in reactive waves, her energy so easily shared with other people it was hard not to feel elated when she was around.

"Hi there, that Raichu there is mine," Ash informed her, causing the girl to look up from Raichu to its trainer for the first time, making her blush in embarrassment as she realized she hadn't even properly introduced herself. "Oh I'm so sorry mister, the name is Bonnie, nice to meet you," quickly introduced, clearly ashamed of her lack of manners as she held out her hand for Ash to shake in the usual fashion. Instead, Ash greeted her in the typical Kalosian way, by planting a quick kiss on her knuckles, realizing that it was quite often custom to kiss both cheeks but not wanting to make the young girl too uncomfortable.

Instead, the girl merely smiled gaily at him as though she didn't have a care in the world, a light blush adorning her cheeks but little more than that to indicate she was even slightly uncomfortable with the greeting Ash extended to her. "And you as well my dear, the name is Ash, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town. That one down there, as I'm sure you already know, is my starter Pokemon Raichu, say hi buddy," Ash greeted in response, surprised by how much maturity he could sense coming off the girl as Raichu jumped on his shoulder and introduced itself.

"Raichu, Rai," it grinned toothily, causing Bonnie to squeal in excitement. "Oh my gosh, it's so cute, I can't stand it, I'm gonna die," she cried out in childlike awe and wonderment, causing Ash to chuckle at her overactive enthusiasm as he offered for her to pet and even hold his Raichu, quickly informing her that his starter loved being pat on the tail and that it was no stranger to cuddles or even new people holding it.

Bonnie got so excited she literally jumped for joy on the spot, opening up her arms big and wide as Raichu jumped into them, sighing in content as Bonnie started petting it down its back, almost tipping over from the weight of Ash's starter as another voice sounded from in front of them. "Bonnie, how many times have I told you not to pester people like that, it's not polite," the voice of a teenage boy called out to them, causing Bonnie to spin around with Raichu in her arms, holding it to her chest with her small arms, unable to even fit them all the way around Raichu's midsection.

"Relax big brother, he doesn't seem all that bothered by it, and besides, he's probably here to challenge your gym anyways," Bonnie replied, sticking her tongue out as the boy joined the two of them underneath the tunnel-like entryway, which seemed to bore into the base of the tower itself. A bespectacled boy ran up towards them, huffing and puffing, evidently trying and failing to keep up with his little sister, as was often the norm in Ash's opinion. He could see now that the boy resembled Bonnie in appearance, with the same yellow blonde hair and light blue eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. For one thing, the boy was wearing a blue jumpsuit which completely contrasted the style his sister was sporting, and on top of that he was carrying a huge, clunky packsack on his back that Ash ventured could carry a good amount of odds and ends inside of it, though of course it would never compare to the tricked out one Ash himself prized, the one he wore on his own back at this very moment.

"I'm terribly sorry about my sister mister, she gets like this every time she sees a new Pokemon," the boy apologized while Bonnie pouted at him for thinking her behaviour reprehensible, but Ash merely waved off his apologies. "Hey, no harm done, I was just waiting for a friend before I checked this place out anyways, and as you can see, Raichu is good with kids," Ash responded quickly, glad he was able to rescue Bonnie from reprehension while indicating Raichu who was currently snuggling against Bonnie's chest as she pat him, climbing up onto her shoulder and jumping from her back onto Ash in one fell swoop once it became clear she was done.

"I'm Clement by the way, and you've already met Bonnie," Clement announced formally, taking Ash's hand in a firm shake, the Pallet town trainer feeling a strange sort of kinship with the two already, in spite of the fact that it had only been a few minutes. "Ash Ketchum from Pallet town, nice to meet you guys, also Bonnie, I'm not necessarily here to battle the gym leader per say. Truth is, none of the Pokemon I have on me right now are fit to participate in a gym battle, at least not one of this magnitude," Ash admitted, remembering his promise to let his Pokemon out for some fresh air soon, his infinite awareness telling him that Brock was five or ten minutes away tops.

"Why, do you not think you're ready to handle a gym leader yet or something Ash?" Clement wondered; giving Ash a calculating glance as the Pallet town trainer chose carefully how to word his response, realizing he was actually speaking to the gym leader right now and not wanting to offend him or his battling skills. If what Bonnie said was true then Clement was Lumiose city's very own gym leader, and frankly she didn't have the aura of a person who could lie, or at least not one who could lie well, and even if she could, he'd know right away if she wasn't telling the truth.

"Ugh, that's not actually what I meant Clement," Ash answered somewhat hesitantly, the rest of his response drowned out by Bonnie's voice overshooting him. "Clement, look at his Pokeball belt, he's carrying over a dozen, no twenty Pokemon with him and none of them seem to be disappearing. Why is that, I thought a trainer could only carry six Pokemon with them at any given time?" Bonnie inquired curiously as Clement's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch, evidently impressed.

"Impressive, a champion level trainer so near my gym, you don't see that every day," Clement stated, and Ash chortled sheepishly. "Hehe, guilty as charged," Ash chuckled as Raichu snorted and Bonnie cast the dozen or so master balls on Ash's belt a wry glance, looking like a person who couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Ash, can I see the rest of your Pokemon pretty please?" she pleaded, contemplating whether or not she should get on her knees and beg while Ash looked over at Clement and sighed.

"I suppose I could let my Pokemon out for some fresh air, what are your gym's rules of engagement Clement?" Ash wondered in defeat, unable to refuse Bonnie when she was looking at him with those Lillypup eyes and pouting at him as cutely as she could muster. He really was a sucker when it came to little kids, especially ones like her who were not only cute but knew it too, those kinds killed him every time.

Clement decided to respond with a question of his own, "Well before we get started, how about you show me how many Kalos gym badges you currently have?" he queried in response, and Ash flashed him a big zero sign, sighing in disappointment for he knew where this was headed. "Then I'm afraid I can't battle you as the gym leader, I'm sorry. Only trainers who have gathered four Kalos badges are permitted to challenge the Lumiose city gym and champion trainer or not, I don't make exceptions," Clement stated matter-of-factly and Ash nodded understandingly, much to Bonnie's disappointment. In all fairness, Ash should have seen this coming, what with the number of people in this city who would most likely challenge gyms, Clement would hardly get a moment's peace if he didn't restrict the challengers in some way, and he probably wouldn't get much of a challenge from most rookie trainers anyways.

Ash was reminded vaguely of Norman and how he had refused to battle Ash as the gym leader to, but then decided to battle him just for fun, a battle Ash and Raichu easily won, much to his and his Vigoroth's surprise. "Oh, come on Clement, can't you make an exception just this one time?" Bonnie whimpered imploringly, playing her cuteness to an almost unbearable level, and Ash couldn't believe he was falling for it despite his infinite awareness telling him how good she was at playing this up. He actually felt sad, guilty, dejected, and all that jazz for being unable to show her the many fully trained Pokemon he had on his roster, but quickly thought up a solution once he remembered Norman.

"Say Clement, I know you're not permitted to battle any such trainer as the gym leader, but why not battle me for fun, honestly, my Pokemon are getting kind of restless and I'm not exactly pressed for time or anything, what do you say?" Ash suggested, watching Bonnie as her eyes began to sparkle while she gazed at Clement with her big blue peepers, giving Ash the distinct impression this was her ultimate weapon of choice to getting what she wanted from people. Clement smiled at the loophole Ash was exploiting for his little sister, glad he was correct in his initial assumption that Ash was a kind hearted trainer, willing to go to great lengths so Bonnie could see his Pokemon in battle. He knew he wasn't supposed to battle any trainer if they didn't have any gym badges, but like Ash pointed out, that rule only applied when he was battling as the gym leader, and it just so happened there was a battle field not too far from where they stood.

"You know, there are a few battle fields about ten blocks or so from here, on South Boulevard, I daresay we could use one of them for an exhibition match or something. Plus I'm not supposed to be opening the gym for another couple of hours anyways, so I've got time to kill to, you're on Ash," Clement challenged him, and Bonnie started jumping for joy. "Hooray, my big brother and Ash are going to battle, I can't wait to see all of your awesome Pokemon Ash!" Bonnie shouted in exclamation, running laps up and down the sidewalk, passing Clement and Ash by several times over and causing Raichu to get excited as it too jumped down and joined Bonnie in her pacing.

Clement and Ash walked at a much more leisurely pace, but beneath their calm exteriors both trainers were eager the gauge the other ones strength, and Clement knew just by looking at Ash that he would be in for a grueling match, one he probably wouldn't even win. He was just going over what Pokemon he was going to use when a gruff voice called out to Ash. "Hey Ash, there you are man, wait for me," Brock called out from behind him, and Ash slowed his pace to a crawl, allowing his oldest travel companion to catch up as Brock finally made his entrance, huffing and puffing but still managing to walk beside Ash.

"Who're they?" Brock immediately asked upon seeing Clement and Bonnie leading them away from Prism tower. "Brock man, you really gotta keep up, this is Clement and Bonnie, Clement's the Lumiose city gym leader and Bonnie is his little sister," Ash pointed out as if it were obvious, wanting to ruffle Brock's feathers a little bit as the older boy huffed indignantly. "Well excuse me, not everyone is as fast or as quick on the updates as the grand Ash Ketchum," Brock replied sardonically, and Ash snickered in response while Clement and Bonnie merely listened in interest.

"Sorry you guys, this is my old friend Brock, aspiring Pokemon doctor and former Pokemon breeder, knows lots about Pokemon and really knows how to cook," Ash said, introducing his friend as Clement and Bonnie walked up to meet him. "Nice to meet you Brock, I'm Bonnie, I'm 9 years old, only one year away from getting my first Pokemon," Bonnie giggled, shaking Brock's hand as the older man smiled down at her. "Nice to meet ya, and don't worry Bonnie, it'll happen before you know it. I think I actually once said that to someone before, uh, who was it again Ash?" Brock wondered, and Ash smirked, knowing that Brock had never been able to win in any argument that challenged the Pallet town trainer's memory.

"It was Max Maple you clown, man am I the only one around here who remembers the little details?" Ash guffawed, and Bonnie giggled alongside him, already taking a liking to poking fun at Brock. Ash couldn't stop smiling for some reason, and he knew that Bonnie would fit in their little group just fine. "So Ash, come on man, I need some details here. What's going on, when did you guys meet? Why are we heading away from Prism tower? I thought you were going to check out the gym, maybe challenge it if you deemed it strong enough to give your Pokemon a run for their money," Brock said, bombarding Ash with questions as the Pallet town trainer focused on answering them while keeping an eye on Clement and Bonnie. Raichu was currently running circles around the little girl, sticking his tongue out at her and engaging in a quick game of cat and mouse, and clearly the mouse was winning, not for lack of trying on the cat's part, because Bonnie was obviously a very persistent little girl.

"I only just met them a couple of minutes ago? Turns out Clement doesn't accept battles from challengers with less than four Kalos gym badges, so I offered to battle him just for fun and he took it. Bonnie really likes Pokemon from what I can tell, and I've already taken a shine to her, she seems like a really sweet kid, kinda reminds me a little of Max honestly. Anyways, I know it's only been about a quarter of an hour or so but I feel like I already know them, does that seem weird?" Ash asked. Brock merely shook his head at Ash, unable to believe how quickly he had acquainted himself with two complete strangers. "Ash, honestly man, you're the only person I know who could make such fast friends with two completely new people and frankly it's impressive, it's almost like you have this... _sixth sense_ about people, like you know whether or not they can be trusted," Brock snickered, giving Ash that knowing look while pointing out his powers in a not so subtle way.

"Ash, what does he mean by sixth sense, and why did he emphasize only those two words," Bonnie inquired curiously, practically materializing on Ash's other side as the Pallet town trainer looked down at her, mouthing the words 'tell you later' to her. She nodded and resumed chasing Raichu, unaware that they were already at their destination, a rather large sports park with about half a dozen or so Pokemon battle fields, none of them being used at the moment.

"Well, as I'm sure you can all see, we're quite capable of doing battle in peace and quiet right now," Ash pointed out, ever the one to state the obvious as Brock nodded and Bonnie gleefully anticipated what Pokemon Ash was going to use, already knowing her brother's team off by heart. He had a level 100 Heliolisk, which he evolved from Helioptile just recently, a level 100 Magnezone, a level 100 Ampharos, and a level 38 Bunnelby, his newest capture. Her brother had also befriended a Shinx when he was still a kid and even helped design the Kalos Power Plant grids, so all and all he was quite the accomplished trainer and person in general. Still, she was curious as to which Pokemon he was going to use, Bunnelby was too untrained to have even a prayer of defeating one of Ash's Pokemon, assuming what he said was true. So that left Magnezone, Ampharos, and Heliolisk as his best options, the question was which one would he use and more importantly, how would Ash counter him? She was dying to find out.

Ash smirked upon sensing where Bonnie's thoughts were headed, having gleamed the information of Clement's team from her mind and already knowing who he was going with. Quite frankly Raichu was the only Pokemon he planned on revealing in battle to them, wanting the two siblings to have time to get over the inevitable shock they'd endure upon glimpsing the rest of Ash's Pokemon and not wanting Clement to be intimidated during the match.

"Hey Brock, you wanna referee for old time's sake?" Ash called out to his friend who was already taking his designated spot to the side of center field, Bonnie sitting on the bench beside him with longing anticipation, unable to stand the wait anymore as Raichu ran to Ash's side on his end of the battle field, Clement taking the spot opposite him, both of them staring each other down.

"Alright Ash, what are the rules of engagement?" Brock called out to him, Ash testing the wind while he responded; wanting to get a feel for the field of sand he was battling on. "One on one, no substitutes, no time limit, sound good to you Clement," Ash replied briskly, and Clement nodded before selecting his one and only choice, wanting to take this opportunity to train his newest capture up.

"Alright Ash, let me introduce you to my newest catch, come on out Bunnelby," Clement shouted while tossing the signature red and white Pokeball into the air. Upon hitting the ground, the ball snapped open in a flash of white light, revealing the silhouette of a small Pokemon as the light faded and the ball flew back into Clement's hand, fully closed up again, leaving a small brownish grey rabbit like Pokemon in place of the white light.

"Bunnel...by," it cried, pausing to take a look around as Clement called out to it. "Bunnelby, I know this is our first battle together but try to bear with me okay?" Clement said confidently, reaching out to his newest catch as Bunnelby gave an affirmative nod and assumed a battling stance, watching Ash from their side of the field as Raichu ran out onto it without even having to talk with Ash.

"Raichu versus Bunnelby, battle begin," Brock declared, waving his hands to signal for the match to start. Using the power of telepathy, Ash instructed Raichu to suppress its infinite powers and only use the offensive powers of a level 50 individual of its species, to make it a close match and to give Bunnelby the opportunity to train itself up. "Alright Raichu; let's start this off with a thunderbolt," Ash instructed aloud, waiting on baited breath as Raichu delivered an infinitely underpowered thunderbolt, at least compared to their usual standards.

Despite holding back, the air was still crackling with static electricity as Raichu leaped twenty feet straight up into the air, its whole body glowing neon blue as it launched a five foot wide arc of blue lightning, sending it sailing towards Bunnelby at breakneck speeds. Bonnie's heartfelt cheers for her brother and Ash were drowned out by the rush of battle surging through both trainers and Pokemon, as well as the deafening clap of thunder that accompanied Raichu's thunderbolt upon closing the distance between itself and Clement's newest capture.

"Bunnelby quick, use your ears to kick up the sand and intercept the attack," Clement quickly retaliated, and Bunnelby immediately obliged, its ears working overtime as they punched the ground repeatedly like two miniaturized fists, a wall of sand erupting from the ground and intercepting Raichu's attack, just like it was supposed to. Unfortunately for Bunnelby and Clement, Ash had already switched tactics and ordered a quick attack before they could even properly react, the lightning mouse covering the distance between itself and Bunnelby in the blink of an eye, its body flashing a blinding white as it slammed into the rabbit Pokemon, creating a shock wave that cratered the earth while sending Bunnelby sailing at Clement's feet, struggling to get back up.

' _Only one underpowered move and I'm already losing, man Ash is strong, and by battling him this way I understand him and Raichu better, but I'm not about to give up,_ ' Clement thought determinedly, doing his best to motivate Bunnelby to get back up and grateful beyond measure when it did. "Alright Bunnelby, now use Double Slap on Raichu," Clement commanded quickly, wanting to get on the offensive and end this quickly before Raichu could recover.

Bonnie sat on the park bench watching the match with wide eyes filled with awe and fascination, Brock sitting beside her and grinning at her obvious enthusiasm. "I would've thought a champion level trainer would be a lot stronger than this Brock. I mean, Ash and Raichu should have KO Bunnelby the moment they hit it, at least if what I've heard about champion level trainers is true," Bonnie stated questioningly, already strongly suspecting that Ash and Raichu were holding back, the question was, how much were they holding back?

Brock chuckled at this, perfectly understanding Bonnie's skepticism and wanting to clear it up for her. "Ash and Raichu are toying with them Bonnie, trust me, that little ball of fur there, I've seen it defeat champion Lance's strongest Pokemon, twice, and it has emerged victorious over a number of both legendary Pokemon and the signature Pokemon of Elite Four Members, including Agatha's mega Gengar and even Drake's mega Salamance, which was fully trained and one of the only Pokemon Ash ever faced that managed to tie with his Raichu. The point is, compared to all that, this barely qualifies as a warm-up, and don't think for a second that Ash and Raichu aren't severely restricting their powers and pulling their punches in this match," Brock explained to her, having already picked up on how intelligent she was and glad he was able to clear all this up for her.

"Are they really that strong," Bonnie asked dreamily, and Brock actually laughed at that point. "Bonnie, I can say without a doubt that they're stronger than you can possibly imagine," he answered, unable to stop laughing for some reason, he found the very idea of Ash being weak a ludicrous one, it was like imagining a non violent tempered Misty or a non beautiful Nurse Joy, it just didn't make any sense to think like that. Well, maybe in some distant world or reality, somewhere Brock would never want to be if he was being completely honest.

Bonnie continued watching the battle with renewed faith in Ash and Raichu, knowing that they weren't using anywhere near their full strength, hell she wasn't even sure if there was an actual upper limit to the strength of a fully trained Pokemon. Well, there was only one way to find out, and with that thought in mind, Bonnie continued cheering her heart out for Ash and Clement, wanting to be the judge of whether or not Brock's opinion of Ash was truly true.

Ash watched in earnest as Bunnelby repeatedly slapped Raichu with its long ears, which worked just like arms and even had their own miniaturized fists, truly a fascinating physiology. Raichu merely stood there and took the blows head on, the double slaps not even phasing it as Bunnelby drew back and prepared to launch it again, but Clement had different plans.

"Use mud shot Bunnelby," he instructed, and Bunnelby immediately complied, summoning several gobs of mud above its ears as it hopped up and volleyed them towards the lightning mouse, causing both the Pallet town trainer and Raichu to grin before the mouse Pokemon dodged them with practiced ease. "This was fun Clement, I gotta say it was quite fun, but the time has come for Raichu and I to end this battle. Use Meteor Mash buddy, and follow up with an instantaneous Iron Tail in the event that Bunnelby manages to dodge," Ash ordered enthusiastically, causing both Bonnie and Clement to gasp outright as Raichu moved so fast a small sonic boom was left in its wake, the shockwave knocking Brock and Bonnie off their seats in the bench as Bunnelby was left unconscious in a smoking crater faster than any normal human brain could process it.

"Bunnelby, are you alright?" Clement asked as Brock got up and declared the match over and Ash and Raichu the victors, all of them sweat dropping as they realized the entire battle field was one big pit of dirt, rocks, and earth, there was nothing left standing in the vicinity after that whopper of an attack. The entire park had been leveled, but at least the city was accustomed to this sort of thing happening around here and had a team of construction Pokemon ready to fix it right up again just in case.

Ash and Raichu smiled at each other before walking over to Clement and his fallen Pokemon, "hehe, sorry about that Clement, I guess we got a little carried away," Ash chuckled, going into his backpack quickly and pulling out a full restore. "Here, take this, it'll fully restore any Pokemon almost instantly. It's a very powerful and expensive medicine but I think in this case you more than deserve it, you and Bunnelby did amazing Clement, don't think for a second that you don't deserve to be gym leader," he added, and Clement nodded upon accepting the full restore, surprisingly he was smiling.

"Hahaha, not bad Ash, not bad at all, that last attack really threw us for a loop, but I've seen attacks from my Heliolisk, Magnezone, and Ampharos that were just as good," he chuckled, spraying the medicine all over Bunnelby's body and watching in amazement as it opened its eyes, its cuts and bruises all healing and knitting themselves in a fraction of a second as it jumped to its feet, clearly wondering how the hell it had been knocked out so quickly.

Brock and Bonnie came over to them, Bonnie laughing and giggling euphorically along the way as she pranced right up to Ash, "you and Raichu were awesome, I bet that wasn't even a fraction of your full power was it Ash?" she wondered, and Ash grinned as he got down on one knee, now at her eye level as Raichu jumped down and congratulated Bunnelby, all of them having thoroughly enjoyed watching the match or participating in it.

"Bonnie, let me tell you something about fully trained Pokemon, Raichu here, was absolutely holding back its full power, and considering that even casual blows from my buddy here are more often than not measured in megatons of force, that's probably a good thing. Fully trained Pokemon have absolute, planet busting strength, all of their capabilities are enhanced to infinite levels, including Raichu's electrical energy, its physical capabilities including its strength and speed, which enable it to move at literally infinite velocities, physics and the G-force be damned."

"On top of all of that, Raichu's special ability is lightning rod, and that is likewise enhanced, rendering it completely immune to any and all electric type attacks and enabling to absorb and contain infinite amounts of electricity in its body, so yes, we were holding back, a lot. Raichu was using only a finite amount of its full energy, which is essentially limitless by its fundamental nature; do you understand now why I was hesitant to use any of my current team in an actual gym battle?" Ash explained intelligently, and Bonnie nodded dumbly, stupefied as she processed the enormity of the older boy's statement.

Clement got up and dusted himself off before returning Bunnelby to its Pokeball, deciding to add his own two cents worth. "I'd heard rumors that fully trained Pokemon had incredible powers but I'd never really thought much about it until my own Pokemon reached level 100. Is it true that while all fully trained Pokemon are level 100 not all level 100 Pokemon are fully trained, because I know my Pokemon can still get stronger, there has to be a way," Clement asked, wanting to clarify if his own high level Pokemon still had the capacity to grow some more.

Ash grinned at him, "well, yeah of course they can get stronger Clement. Fully trained Pokemon are actually technically level infinity, but for simplicity's sake the level value is capped at a maximum of 100. I guess it makes it easier for the stat calculation systems if not every value rose infinitely, too much information to process I suppose," Ash replied, and Clement nodded in understanding, happy his Pokemon were still not truly at their best and that there was still a ways for him to go.

Clement was just in the middle of offering to show Ash and Brock around Lumiose city and introduce them to his and Bonnie's father Meyer when Ash's infinite awareness started going off in his head like a bunch of warning bells. Quickly scanning the vicinity, Ash became aware of three hostiles rapidly approaching them, all of them having ill intents for their group. He barely had time to register all this before they appeared, and an intimidating male voice spoke out to them. "You there, with the Raichu, relinquish all your Pokemon to us at once, or feel the wrath of the newly resurrected, new and improved Team Flare."


	3. Chapter Two: A Fated Encounter- Two Champions of Arceus- Two Sides of the Perpetual Conflict

_Disclaimer: Do I even need to point out that I make no profits from this nor do I own Pokémon of any kind. Characters, ideas, and the like are all the sole property of the creators of Pokémon; I own nothing except the OCs and the AU ideas on everything in the games and the Anime._

_Chapter rated for violence, epic battles, and mass death of innocent people, swearing, lemons, and sex_

_Story is dedicated to ShadowLord1295, enjoy man, and review this chapter whenever you can dude._

Chapter Two: A Fated Encounter- Two Champions of Arceus- Two Sides of the Perpetual Conflict

In truth, Ash should have seen this coming, he knew this was inevitable given his track record in the previous regions but he did not expect for a new team of Pokémon thieves, psychopaths, and murderers to be giving him and his Pokémon trouble so soon into a new journey. Lord knows he had made his share of enemies and people with wicked intentions who wished him dead or for him and his Pokémon to join their elite ranks. Team Rocket's Jessie, James, and Meowth had pursued him for years all the way up until the end of his Hoenn journey, during which Giovanni fired them for their incompetence and told them never to return.

Team Aqua and Team Magma both tried to recruit him, Maxie had even gone all out and mega evolved his level 100 Camerupt during their epic battle on Mount Chimney. He and Archie had both tried to justify their actions to Ash, during which Ash had philosophically picked their reasoning apart, which had only angered them at the time. Lord knows capturing both Primal Groudon and Kyogre during their fight in the cave of origin and their struggle to obtaining as much power as possible had humbled both team leaders, whom agreed that Ash was probably the only person on earth who was worthy of the power of both legends and gave him the red and blue orbs to hold their primal reversions for a short while, like when they were battling on his behalf. Hell, Dialga and Palkia could undergo Primal reversion as well and Giratina had a Mikado Organ much the same as Rayquaza, enabling it to absorb and infinitely create mega evolution energy and undergo mega evolution itself.

These new and improved versions of the Creation Trio had been a shocking discovery to Ash and Professor Oak to say the least, and their new forms endowed them with the power of Totality Manipulation. Due to the nature of their omnipotent powers and the ever-increasing risk of unleashing Armageddon via an omnipotence paradox, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina all limited their power over the Omega Omnisphere to nigh infinite levels when in their Primal or Mega forms, enabling them to control everything throughout the myriad paths of infinity that wasn't every bit as powerful as they were or somehow even more so. All and all, Ash knew that with his own superpowers limited on some level and those of his two Mew, Arceus, and his creation trio, all of whom were on his team right now, the risk of that paradox eating the Omega Omnisphere for lunch was somewhat reduced.

God only knew how many Pokémon out there in the Ultra-Verse were capable of becoming that mighty when fully trained, but Ash knew there was at least six if one included Omninoir on that list. His Mewtwo from the Decolore islands didn't even need a Mewtwonite or a Key Stone to access its X and Y mega forms, and had been cloned in such a way to allow it to have a Mikado Organ much the same as Giratina and Rayquaza. Team Plasma had stumbled across a video depicting his father Red battling alongside an enhanced replica of Mew, and attempted to replicate Doctor Fuji's work in cloning the legendary Pokémon Mew during their attempts to harness the powers of mega evolution and somehow infuse Kyurem with the power to attain mega evolution even in its black and white forms, a feat which forced Ash to run interference and confront Ghetsis and Kyurem in the Giant Chasm, the Plasma Frigate having used Kyurem's immense powers to try and freeze all of Unova and eventually the entire world in absolute zero cold.

The point was, Ash had seen a lot of what these evil organizations were capable of, but ultimately their attempts to harness unknown forces and fuck about with gods and shit had been what had allowed Ash to befriend and capture 5 of the six known Pokémon capable of becoming omnipotent. Also, if he was right in his hypothesis about Mewtwo possibly having a third mega evolved form like his Charizard's Z form, which amazingly had the same ability as Primal Groudon, then he could potentially be looking at a seventh Pokémon capable of becoming almighty in every sense of the word upon reaching level infinity. Assuming these grunts were foolish enough to attack him, Ash had literally millions of ways in which he could stop them, so the fact they were glaring at him when he was actually 6 and a half feet tall and could crush them into oblivion with only his mind didn't intimidate him in the slightest.

It was actually a recurring pattern with each new region Ash arrived in. Memories of Team Galactic, Team Plasma, and Team Rocket flashing through his mind as he and Raichu hardened their stare even further, void of any fear even in the face of this so called new and improved Team Flare. Clemont and Bonnie were watching the staring match with wide eyes while Brock tensed up behind them, contemplating whether he should help Ash, protect Bonnie and Clemont, or simply leave both of these jobs to Ash alone.

Bonnie stared at the grunts in horror, memories of her mom dying at the hands of the original Team Flare years ago causing her to start hyperventilating. Her mom had been the electric type gym leader before Clemont, and had gone off to help the world champion Red confront Lysandre in Lysandre labs once it became clear what his true intentions were. She, Meyer, and a man named Richard Bellerose had been Red's traveling companions in Kalos way back in the day, and she had been part of the resistance against Lysandre's tyranny way back in the day. Malva's betrayal coupled with Red's constant interference had driven Lysandre completely insane, and during an epic battle between him and Red, her mom had been present to help stop him and in the end they had all gotten out of the war with Team Flare alive.

Lysandre was lost in the underground facility underneath Geosenge Town, buried alive under thousands of tons of rock and rubble, and left for dead by Red and the others who had gotten out of there as soon as it became clear they would be buried alive if they stayed there any longer. With both Red and Lysandre's Pokémon out of commission and Lysandre unconscious and too big for them to carry, Red had just enough energy to take his Pokémon team from him and leave him there to die, not wanting his Pokémon to suffer the same fate as their dark hearted, genocidal master and planning to take them on under his wing. Team Flare's legacy and their boss had died with their secret lair where the ultimate weapon was located, and all was well for Bonnie and Clemont's parents for years to come.

They had gotten married and her mom had given birth to Clemont about a decade later, but their happy life together just wasn't meant to last forever. Bonnie remembered the day it happened as clear as though it were yesterday, having been four years old at the time, it wasn't a day she liked to remember, but with these grunts attempting to steal from her and Clemont's new friend, she was experiencing some seriously scary flashbacks that nearly succeeded in distracting her from their present situation, a move that could have been fatal if what she remembered was anything to go by. Her mom had died because some Team Flare grunts escaped custody to seek revenge for their fallen leader, and to seek retribution against the people who had destroyed their team and wounded their pride. Red and Richard Yvonne were MIA and far too well hidden for them to find but both of Clemont and Bonnie's parents were perfectly conspicuous in the largest city in Kalos; with two kids, one 9 year old boy and a 4 year old girl who would be the perfect tools of their revenge. Long story short, their mom managed to get them to safety and to the authorities in time, but had died trying to fend off the grunts and the former admin who had led the whole thing, including the well coordinated attack on their home.

Bonnie wanted desperately to warn Ash to be careful and not to underestimate them, but she was scared to draw attention to herself, hating herself and feeling like such a pathetic coward but seeing these monsters again had made her completely clam up. She hoped beyond measure that they weren't packing heat or that their Pokémon weren't at a really high level because she was already worried enough about Ash as it was. She could tell Clemont felt the same way she did, but was more focused on her well being than his own, something which made her feel a little better in spite of herself.

Ash finally ended the staring match as he addressed the washed out members of this newly resurrected Team Flare, remembering the many stories of his all-powerful father and how he left Lysandre to die, buried under hundreds of tons of rubble beneath the surface of Geosenge town. Apparently there were still some people left in the world who felt like Lysandre's misanthropic point of view was justified.

"Who are you guys, what do you want?" Ash demanded with a menacing hiss, Raichu sparking its cheeks beside him and turning the air throughout Lumiose city into static electricity, the electron voltage becoming immeasurable and causing everyone's hair to stand on end. The grunt in the middle, who was dressed in a white unzipped jacket over an equally white tea shirt with the orange fireball insignia that once inspired terror throughout Kalos, pointed at Raichu with a leer of his own.

"We want your Raichu and all of your Pokémon, surrender them now or we will take them by force," the grunt demanded, his two flankers imitating his demeanor as Ash's scowl turned into a confident smirk. "What force, you fools actually think you can hold a candle to my might? By all means, I dare to you try, who knows, this might even be entertaining for me," Ash smiled with a chilling level of nonchalance that had the grunts questioning whether or not they had bitten off more than they could chew.

Ash wasn't too worried for him or his Pokémon, but underneath his bravado he was worried for Clemont and Bonnie, both of whom had bad memories related to Team Flare. He quickly forced his infinite awareness to respect their privacy by not delving into their minds for further details. Funny thing was that as versatile as he could be, Ash often defaulted to only using his limitless psionic and spiritual powers, his infinite will being his go to omnipotent power while the other two were all he really needed to deal with most everyday situations. Every once in a while, he'd mix it up by using different powers, mostly for redundancy's sake, but ultimately, him having the literal will of God was usually a powerful enough ability to render most extreme scenarios a total non issue.

"Very well, you forced us to forcibly extract your Pokémon, go Tyranitar," the grunt in charge of this operation shouted as he tossed a Pokeball with a lazy flick of his hand. The ball burst open as it hit the ground the released the silhouette of a gigantic Pokémon in an orb of white light. The white light died down and dissipated altogether, leaving an unusual looking Tyranitar in its place, one that was jet black and to Ash's horror and astonishment, radiated a shadowy aura of pure, absolute darkness, the door to it's heart completely sealed off.

His horror was quickly replaced by furious anger as the Tyranitar roared menacingly, anger that was transferred to Raichu as the lightning mouse increased the electron voltage throughout the air even further. Tiny fireworks of electrical energy sparked everywhere around them, making it feel to everyone present like they had been stricken with a permanent case of seeing stars. "Tyranitarrrrr!" it roared again, stomping its foot on the ground and causing the very earth to tremble mightily, its heartless demeanor rendering it completely devoid of any fear, or even the flight or fight instinct, which made it extremely volatile, aggressive, and unafraid to attack anything, including humans.

"That's no ordinary Shadow Pokémon, tell me NOW! How the hell did you fools manage to procure a Shadow Tyranitar of the XD caliber?!" Ash commanded; exerting his infinite will over the grunts so they would lack the ability to lie to him or refuse to answer his queries. This was a very dangerous power for Ash to be flaunting, and he wouldn't violate his own 'no tampering with free will under any circumstance' clause if this wasn't an emergency. Arceus often said it could override its own personal rules in extreme enough situations, and Ash knew this situation warranted his usage of this power.

He told himself he'd never condone taking a life, and that the ends never justified the means, but in moments such as this when his fury was immeasurable, he had to wonder if people like these bastards were truly redeemable.

Ash Ketchum One Million was young, and many considered his ideals to be old fashioned and naive; but he did what was right, not what was easy or even necessary. Nevertheless, if he was pushed too far, if his enemies went too far in their willingness to fulfill their evil ambitions; he would do almost anything it took to stop them, short of killing them or torturing them. These guys were not messing around, and creating a Shadow Tyranitar which was as immune to purification as the infamous XD001 was deplorable. Armed with his furious anger, and the savage thought of toying with these monsters and making them understand what it felt like to be rendered powerless, to have their dreams die, Ash commanded Raichu to ready itself for battle, all the while waiting for his willpower to work its magic and force the grunt to divulge the information he sought.

"Our admin led a mission to steal the Shadow Pokémon data from Team Cipher's files and from Professor Krane's lab. Thanks to her we now have the means to create entire armies of Shadow Pokémon who are immune to purification," the grunt answered Ash before he could stop himself, unable to lie for some inexplicable reason. Ash's steely glare resumed at this revelation, wanting to meet this admin and give her a piece of his fucking mind.

Tyranitar attacked without receiving a single order from any of the grunts, a massive swirling, churning black aura overtaking it as it ran straight at Ash and Raichu, attempting to use Shadow End for super effective damage as Ash's mind instantly formulated a counterattack. "Raichu, counter with a focus punch," he commanded, perfectly aware of the collateral damage and the loss of life a collision of this magnitude could cause and taking steps to cushion the blow to everyone in the city aside from Tyranitar.

Raichu immediately complied with a war cry, covering the distance between itself and the stampeding Tyranitar in an instant, its entire right arm illuminated by a super condensed ball of white light with enough energy to run the risk of creating a singularity if they weren't careful. Tyranitar was stopped in its tracks, and it was vaulted miles backwards by a punch with 10 octillion megatons of pure force. The resultant shock wave knocked everyone in the vicinity off their feet and resonated through the entire solar system, absolutely deafening and forcing even Ash himself to cover his ears due to his infinitely acute senses. Normally a planet sized mushroom cloud or a detonated solar system would be the direct result of an explosion this powerful, but Ash was glad to note that his powers were successfully holding everything together; hell he was capable of preserving the Omega Omnisphere itself if he had to.

The Pallet town trainer focused his powers on rendering the entire Milky Way galaxy and everything in it temporarily indestructible on a boundless scale, immortalizing every Pokémon, man, woman, child, skyscraper, blade of grass, garden, tree, planet, star, moon, and everything else in a 3000 light-year radius. XD Shadow Tyranitar on the other hand, felt the full brunt of the impact and was sent into orbit at thousands of times the speed of sound, vanishing past the clouds and even the sky itself, swallowed up by the void but thankfully still alive, far beyond the point where the grunts could return it and allowing Ash to use his meta teleportation powers to instantly transport it to Oak's lab unconscious and change its trainer ownership over to him automatically. He felt the familiar feeling of being invincible as his powers crackled under his skin and all the clout in totality thrummed inside of him like a perpetual everlasting fire, a feeling he never wanted to let go off. ' _Arceus this is fucking amazing, I can do ANYTHING!_

"Oh wow," Clemont murmured in a daze as he sat back up, Bonnie and Brock lying somewhere near him as he wondered how in the hell he was still alive, never mind how the world was still all together in spite of being exposed to a blast that from his rough estimates, easily and effortlessly blew away the potency of a 50 megaton nuclear bomb. "Such incredible power," he heard Bonnie mutter to his left. Both siblings and Brock rose to their feet unsteadily, unsurely, as if they couldn't wrap their minds around the fact that they and everyone else in the entire world was alive, alive and well. If he wasn't so in shock, Clemont would have had a million questions and possible theories for how something like this could have happened, it was impossible for such a powerful attack to have knocked them off their feet but do little to nothing else. It was like getting hit with a blunt force, and it winded Clemont and the others pretty good, but the fact remains that they should have been dead, there was no way any human could survive a blast like that.

"What happened brother?" Bonnie queried curiously, gazing at Ash and Raichu in wonder as they awaited their opponent's next selection, but at the moment the grunts were even more stunned than Clemont and Bonnie were. The only ones who seemed as unfazed by this as Ash and Raichu was Brock, and he answered Bonnie's question before Clemont could provide any plausible theories.

"I reckon this is Ash's doing, the only way I can explain this is that he somehow cushioned the impact Raichu's attack had on everyone and everything except for Tyranitar," Brock reasoned out, neither he nor Clemont and Bonnie noticing that Ash's smirk broadened, for the former city of Pewter city was spot on with his guess. "Is something like that even possible?" Clemont questioned skeptically, earning a quiet chuckle from Brock as they watched Ash and Raichu face down their new foes without breaking a sweat. "Guys, if there is anything I have learned from all my years of traveling with Ash, it's that _nothing_ is impossible!" Brock exclaimed emphatically, evidently lost in old memories just as all three of them returned their attention to the battle taking place before them, the grunts having recovered from their shock and gained their second wind.

"You will learn the price of defying Team Flare boy, now hand over that Raichu!" the Team Flare Grunt roared with spittle flying from his mouth, and Ash rose a hand to silence them, and to their astonishment they found they couldn't talk as Ash spoke up. "You guys are either impossibly stupid or incredibly brave to try and steal from a trainer of my caliber. Make no mistake, when I am through with all of you, you'll wish you never challenged me," Ash hissed vehemently, Raichu's power literally setting the air throbbing now, an immense pulse of energy resonating through the entire city.

He was just getting ready to order another attack from Raichu on the grunts themselves when Ash felt a pair of eyes on him, Bonnie, Clemont, Brock, and the grunts from a nearby tree on the outskirts of the park, not harboring the same hostility towards Ash and the others as the grunts but definitely angered by the grunts presence. If Ash had been relieved that a hidden Froakie wasn't intending to harm them, it was quickly replaced by concern for the little frog Pokémon and the thought of it getting involved with people who while, not posing much of a threat to Ash or Raichu, were still formidable in their own right.

In all honesty, the only reason Ash hadn't sent them into orbit much the same way Raichu had done to Shadow Tyranitar was because he was gleaming all the information he could from their heads, reading their minds in an effort to learn all they knew about this newly resurrected Team Flare, and possible connections it may have had to Omninoir's presence here on earth. Unfortunately, they didn't know much, and Ash could sense that Froakie was considering getting involved, so he had to act soon or he might have an injured water type starter on his hands. He was just getting ready to wrap this up when something happened that he wasn't anticipating.

The air seemed to drop to absolute zero temperatures and turned Ash's blood to ice, and there was a pulse of infinite, omnipresent evil and nigh omnipotence beating all around them, one that even had Bonnie, Clemont, and Brock quaking with uncontrollable fear. "Whoa, do you guys feel that?!" Clemont shuddered, wanting nothing more than to crawl into a fetal position as absolute, all-consuming terror welled up inside of him. "If you mean the sudden drop in temperature and that freaky evil vibe in the air, then yes I do," Brock replied just as fearfully, Bonnie's eyes wide as saucers and paralysed with fear.

Ash realized with horror that Omninoir was the driving force behind this new and improved Team Flare, a fact that caused him to reshuffle his priorities and see these grunts as the actual threat they were, as puppets and mere servants of a far greater power. Said grunts were now enveloped in a black aura so thick it engulfed their forms and made them almost impossible to see, but Ash could still see the blank stares they gave in their trance, their eyes turning pure white and all three of them chortling with absolute, inhuman levels of sadism, a sound that made Ash and even his legendary Pokémon cringe upon hearing it. This was an entity that would gladly prolong the suffering of everyone in totality for eternity, all for the sake of initiating himself as the supreme Omniarch of the Omega Omnisphere. Such evil was only possible through the omnimalevolence of the Anti-God Pokémon and alternate versions of himself throughout the Ultra-Verse's Pokémon Multi-Verse.

Something materialized in the main grunt's hands from out of thin air, a bazooka of sorts that was poised to fire at will, pointing directly at Ash and Raichu. Bonnie, Clemont, and even Brock started screaming at them to get the hell out of there. But Ash was too stunned to even think, too immobilized with palpable fear for the first time since gaining his powers to react in time as the man, who was completely under the duress of the most dangerous creature in the Omniverse, fired the weapon at very near point blank range, a collar-like device sailing towards Raichu who stood stock still, just as terrified as Ash and unable to dodge or even think to dodge in time as the collar securely fastened itself around Ash's starter's neck at mach 4.

The presence retreated for the time being, clearly sensing that its work was done as Ash recovered from his paralysis only to realize, to his horror, that the mind controlled grunt had landed an ultra powerful mind control collar on his buddy. Raichu was wailing and flailing around in agony as it tried to pry the damning device from its neck, red sparks flying that filled the once friendly atmosphere of the city with an evil force, the likes of which had never been seen before as Ash recovered from his shock and tried to get closer to Raichu, only to get the shocking of a lifetime that would have instantly stopped his heart had he not been flawlessly indestructible. As it was, Ash was sent tearing through the earthy ground as the grunts seemed to come to at exactly the same moment. Seeing a bazooka that wasn't there before now in their hands gave the grunt in the middle some balls, the other two following suit as they released their Pokémon Golem and Crobat to ratchet up the pressure on Ash even further. The main member of their group trained the handy weapon on Ash himself, wanting to get a clear shot as Ash got up from his torn swath in the ground, not a scratch or bit of dirt on him.

"Ash, NO!" Bonnie screamed; attempting to help him as she horrifyingly realized that history was repeating itself in a way that may have been even worse than the time former Team Flare grunts killed her mom. She attempted to run out to him, chilling dread surging through her veins; her blood as cold as ice as she found herself being held back by something before she could even finish her first stride. "Let me go," she screamed, fighting and kicking whatever it was that was keeping her from helping Ash as he attempted yet again to help his Pokémon; seemingly unaware of the grunt attempting to brainwash him as well and only concerned for his Raichu. She didn't know anything right now except that she had to help him, tackle him out of the way of their bazooka or something, anything. She had been so afraid of Team Flare only moments before, but now she had something that terrified her even more, the thought of losing another person she cared about to those monsters, and so help her, nothing would stop her from doing everything she could to help Ash get away from all this.

"I'm sorry Bonnie, but I can't do that," a voice cracked, one she realized belonged to Brock as she began sobbing; realizing there was nothing she could do now and sinking to the ground in despair, unable to even shout out a warning as her throat closed up. "Please," she desperately pleaded, but Brock's hand tightened around her arm even further as tears leaked from her eyes, trying to shout out a warning to Ash as Raichu attempted to cling to whatever free will it had left, summoning every ounce of willpower it still had to try and shrug off the collar but anyone could see its efforts were failing it.

"This is out of our hands Bonnie," Clemont informed her, his voice breaking as he attempted to lead her further away from the scene, knowing that they were in danger the longer they stayed here. She couldn't stand it, and barely managed to shout at Ash to watch out before the grunt fired another round of mind controlling collars. Ash's omni perception instantly kicked in as he performed a triple back flip on pure instinct, dodging the incoming projectiles and firing a strand of infinitely strong sticky webs from his wrist to grab hold of the first mind control collar mid flip, redirecting it with a strong tug on his webbing and sending it sailing into the other ones with a flick of his wrist upon coming out of his third and final flip, causing a mini explosion that destroyed all three of them and proving Ash was capable of making a fine Spiderman in his off time.

At was at this moment unfortunately, that Raichu's control slipped and the collar completely overtook it, its eyes turning an incandescent red as it ran over to Team Flare's side of the field, ready to battle Ash and the others on their behalf as the main grunt started smirking with arrogance worthy of Gary Motherfucking Oak himself. "Alright Raichu, unleash a thunderbolt on that kid and his friends, and don't hold back," the grunt commanded, instantly taking control of the situation as Ash bit back a harsh curse, realizing that Omninoir had a hand in this and knowing it could be dangerous to Raichu to use his powers to get it out of his situation, especially if the Anti-God had some contingencies in place to render his usual go to powers useless or to make them have the opposite of their intended effect.

"Raichu, STOP!" Ash shouted at his starter, but it was no use as Raichu fired a 10 octillion megawatt bolt of highly concentrated blue lightning towards Ash, easily enough to power entire cities indefinitely and far more potent than any thunderbolt producible by nature, yet Ash knew that this was nowhere near Raichu's maximum capacity, though the grunts wouldn't know that would they? Ash quickly sidestepped the attack, but Raichu ability to manipulate all forms of electrical energy on an almighty level kicked in as the blast redirected and arced to the side just as Ash swore, knowing he had to fight back but not sure how without seriously hurting one of his best friends.

"There has to be something we can do, Clemont, Brock, help him for fuck's sake," Bonnie cussed imploringly, unable to do anything but stand and watch this atrocity take place from what Clemont considered to be a safer distance. Brock considered lending Ash a hand, but wasn't sure how much good it would do, none of his Pokémon were strong enough to survive even one attack from Ash's mind controlled Raichu, let alone strong enough to actually do some damage of their own. Ultimately, as much as he hated to admit it, Brock knew he would be more of a hindrance than a help, and yet he knew he had to help somehow, maybe take advantage of Raichu's occupation with trying to destroy Ash and use that distraction to grab hold of him and break the collar off.

' _No, no, no, that won't work either, once I grab onto the collar or get anywhere near him; all Raichu has to do is shock me once with an overpowered thunderbolt and I'm a dead man_ ,' Brock mused in a desperate tone, letting Clemont keep a gentle but firm grip on Bonnie and trying to reassure them both that Ash could handle this situation well enough on his own. He had to wonder though, why Ash wasn't trying harder to break Raichu free, Arceus knew there were Pokémon Ash had on his roster that could easily curb stomp his electric mouse Pokémon even despite its level of infinity, yet something was holding him back, keeping him at bay, but what was it? Maybe it had to do with that freaky evil vibe that took a hold of them a moment ago, maybe it had somehow spooked Ash into thinking it was dangerous to try and take some kind of easy way out of this, Lord knew Brock himself had felt absolutely petrified by it, and he still did. Whatever that thing was, it felt unspeakably old, powerful, and evil; leaving them all to wonder what the hell it was, or what it had to do with this new Team Flare? Yet there were more pressing and immediate concerns right now, and Brock decided the best course of action was to keep Clemont and Bonnie safe while allowing Ash to try and break Raichu free unimpeded.

Ash cursed as Raichu's thunderbolt changed direction each time he dodged it, sidestepped it, or attempted to flee from it, the massive streak of power and light like a relentless heat seeking missile as he contemplated on what to do, which is when he got an idea. Ash activated his meta teleportation powers yet again, his instantaneous form of transportation allowing him to reappear right behind Raichu in an absolutely immediate time frame, moving at super speed and watching the entire world around him stop moving as he attempted to grab a hold of Raichu, only for the mouse to slip out of his grip before he could properly grab it and blast away in a flash of yellow lightning, both he and Ash playing a very dangerous game of cat and mouse as his glowing red eyes stared at his trainer unseeing, a murderous glare etched on his face.

' _Raiiiiiiiiiiichuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu_!' it wailed like a banshee, running at Ash on all fours with an electric ball coming off of an infinitely condensed iron tail, the electric ball gaining endless amounts of power as Ash's starter's speed increased without limit. Bonnie and Clemont watched the scene taking place with horrified fascination, not sure how Ash was doing the stuff that he was doing and filing away their questions for later, because now was neither the time nor place. Bonnie gasped as Ash teleported again, forcing Raichu to halt its attack and look around for any sign of the trainer it was trying to kill, tears streaming down her face as she watched the once adorable Pokémon attempt to murder its own trainer, the three grunts of Team Flare laughing maniacally and gloating over their inevitable victory.

Ash reappeared some distance away just as Raichu spun around and fired off a thunderbolt right in his direction, having clearly sensed the air shift behind him as Ash reappeared and using his own infinite speeds to react to his trainer's reappearance instantly. Ash however, had anticipated this due to commanding Raichu's battling style for years on end, knowing his starter and his battling styles as well as he did, his hand stretching out of its own accord and taking a hold of the 10 octillion megawatt lightning bolt with his mind, the bolt of lightning being held back as it became outlined in a pink light. Ash then proceeded to redirect the blast right back at Raichu, knowing it wouldn't be able to affect his starter at all thanks to his full powered lightning rod ability in effect, but it wasn't Raichu he was aiming at anyways.

As the blast sailed straight towards the arrogant Raichu, who even in this state knew it wouldn't be able to hurt him, Ash concentrated his power and felt the boundless energy within him causing the air around him to pulsate with an over-saturation of potent force. Using his boundless augmentation abilities to enhance any and all powers, energies, and abilities to absolute levels, Ash enhanced the megawatts inside his redirected version of Raichu's attack to a level of infinity; feeling the air crackle all around them with two separate sources of energy now. Ash let the all-powerful blast of psychic and electrical energy wash over Raichu rather than hit him directly and explode on contact with enough force to effortlessly detonate the planet.

Raichu didn't even cry out as the attack was automatically absorbed by both his body and the mind control collar, and Ash waited on baited breath for the collar to overload and short circuit, hoping beyond hope that his plan worked and that he wouldn't need a plan B. It appeared Omninoir had thought of everything however when bestowing the weapon to the grunts, because the collar didn't give the slightest sign of shorting out even with the electrical discharge powerful enough to overload any manmade circuit box. Clearly this collar was the work of transcendent sciences, because Ash's redirected attack was useless and Raichu merely smirked in an arrogant way that made Ash seethe with anger.

How dare they do this to his beloved Pokémon, he'd make them _and_ Omninoir pay for the atrocity they committed. It was bad enough the grunts were putting the city in danger by unleashing Raichu like a wild animal, who luckily had enough control over his abilities not to do too much damage to anyone aside from his trainer, but the fact that beneath that mindless slave persona was a suffering Pokémon he loved like a brother, Ash knew that these bastards had crossed a line, and felt immeasurable anger and ferocity bubbling under his skin like a tumor.

"Ash WATCH OUT!" he heard Bonnie scream, as the redirected attack receded and Raichu fired off another thunderbolt, this one infinitely more powerful than the last. The blast was so powerful that the static electricity in the air caused everyone's hair to stand on end, and Ash felt the overwhelming discharge crackling in the air all around him and resonating through his nervous system. Getting ready to fight back again, Ash briefly toyed with the idea of using one of his Pokémon for the battle against Raichu but thought better of it, yet despite his decision all of his team members were telepathically cheering him on and trying to get through to Raichu at the same time, but it was all for naught as the all-powerful lightning mouse fired a massive tower of infinitely condensed energy that caused ripples of distortion to _literally_ tear holes into the fabric of totality with just its mere presence, and it sailed towards Ash like an unstoppable behemoth, punching more and more holes into the Omega Omnisphere along the way. Ash's eyes widened in sheer terror upon coming to a horrific, gruesome realization, ' _son of a bitch, Raichu's attack is so powerful and comprised of so much infinitely dense energy that it is distorting the Omega Omnisphere itself; if I don't find a way to stop Raichu, this much condensed light, energy, and heat could result in an all-powerful kugelblitz capable of eating entire omniverses for lunch!_ ' he exclaimed in a cryptic, terrible form of fascination.

Before Raichu fired off the attack and Ash was forced to meet it head on though, a lone figure sat poised in a distant tree, one on the outskirts of the park yet closes enough to allow it to watch over Ash, as it had done since he arrived in Kalos this morning. Froakie liked to think it was a good judge of a trainer's potential and prowess; and Ash might just be the one trainer who could help the frog-like Pokémon attain a level of infinity in its training. Other trainers were either too lazy or too incompetent to bring out Froakie's true potential; and it had gone through a plethora of trainers who didn't know what they were doing and who hadn't managed to qualify for the Kalos league. So Froakie knew he had to leave them, even if he had formed bonds with some of them, it knew what it wanted in life, to become an almighty example of its species in ways no other Froakie or Greninja had ever done before, to take the world of protean users and water type Pokémon by storm. None of these other rank amateur trainers could give it this life, but it knew someone who could. Someone who somehow possessed the power to fend off the almighty attacks from a mind controlled version of his fully trained Raichu.

Immeasurable hatred had almost consumed Froakie when it first set its sight on those grunts from Team Flare, having followed Ash with fascination until that point, and then it had been rubbed the wrong way by the Pokémon thieves. Now though, in the present time, it watched in horror as that Raichu was being manipulated into attacking its own trainer, completely oblivious to everything except that Ash was going to die unless it did something. It watched in horror as the lightning mouse summoned an infinitely condensed bolt of blue electricity so strong and so concentrated that it was punching miniature holes in the fabric of reality with just its mere presence, threatening to create an event horizon that brought about the end of the world if it wasn't stopped.

Its heart was beating a million miles an hour as adrenaline and sheer terror coursed through its small amphibious body, knowing that it had to take the initiative soon and prove its bravery to Ash and his other Pokémon, knowing it was the only way to earn a potential slot in Ash's Pokémon team. It briefly wondered why Ash wasn't calling out another one of his Pokémon to deal with this threat, but perhaps that unholy, pure evil presence that engulfed the area around them moments ago had something to do with staying Ash's hand.

Steeling itself for the fight of its life, Froakie took a gigantic leap and catapulted 60 feet clear into the air, knowing it had to push Ash out of the way as quick as it could and then get the fuck out of the pathway of that reality-warping fork of ozone and electricity. "Raichu, please, I know you're in there somewhere!" Ash cried out desperately, tapping into his powers and projecting his voice in the Word of God, his supreme voice powers to reawaken Raichu's consciousness, if only slightly.

Raichu hesitated for just a second, the omniverse bending electricity it had fired towards Ash suddenly becoming finite in its level of immensity, before dissipating entirely. For a second, Raichu regained its control over its free will, stopping the three grunts in all their gloating and egging Raichu on to finish Ash off, and Ash felt his endless capacity for hope lighting a fire inside of him. "That's it, I knew you could do it buddy, FIGHT!" Ash shouted as Froakie stopped mid attempt to help him, watching the scene unfold in a tense posture, one poised to spring into action as Bonnie, Clemont, and Brock all noticed the frog-like creature standing a few meters away from Ash, all of them immersed in their own individual thoughts on its sudden appearance on the battlefield and hoping it wasn't planning on getting involved.

Froakie could feel the effects Ash's words were having on Raichu, sensing immense, maybe even godlike powers behind the young man's voice, his senses as a Pokémon enabling him to tune into Ash's frequency, and quickly discovered that the young man was no ordinary human, and capable of things that, to Froakie's knowledge, other humans could only dream of. It was just one of the many things that drew Froakie to Ash, and now he felt compelled to protect him, to fight on his behalf, try to get through to Ash's Raichu, and give those grunts a piece of his mind. Ash's words were starting to affect him as well, and his heart skipped a beat when Raichu's mind control collar gave off an intense jolt of red electricity that somehow interfered with whatever magic was infused in Ash's voice and resumed control over his starter.

Froakie was off in a whirl of near supersonic speed before Raichu even launched an attack, and arrived in front of Ash just as the impressive thunderbolt closed in on them both. Froakie attempted to push Ash out of the way but was not expecting the boy's stance to be so solid, it was like hitting a solid brick wall. Instead of tackling Ash out of the way, Froakie was sent ricocheting away from him just as Ash became fully aware of his presence here, having been so preoccupied with trying to talk some sense into Raichu with his magic words that he hadn't noticed Froakie's presence as well as he ought to have, now the blue frog was caught in the crossfire.

"Froakie run, get the hell out of here you fool, this fight is beyond you!" Ash shouted at him desperately, unable to protect Froakie and save Raichu at the exact same moment. He grunted as his starter head-butted him with the same force as a meteor punching into the planet at the speed of light, attaining infinite mass as Ash skidded across the dirt, managing to fend Raichu off with his almighty physical strength and absorb the momentum, the destructive pure force, and the extinction level event that his little buddy would have caused to quite possibly the omniverse itself. Ash knew that colliding with Raichu like that was a situation fraught with unparalleled risk, because if he and Raichu smacked into each other at just at the right speed, at an infinite level of strength while embodying infinite energy then they would potentially create a singularity infinitely more powerful than anything producible by nature, one that could consume the entire Omega Omnisphere if it was not stopped. He remembered hearing a story about how Totality's Mightiest Heroes faced off against one such black hole in the early years of their eternal era, somehow managing to overcome it, nevertheless Ash had no desire whatsoever to recreate the event, because in all honesty he wasn't sure he'd have the ability to stop an all-powerful force of nature such as that.

His train of thought screeched to a tumultuous halt as Raichu readied yet another volt of fathomlessly powerful lightning, the very fabric of the world rippling with distorting holes in the air. Readying himself for another whopper of an attack and taking precautions by holding Froakie in place with a wave of his psychic hand, Ash prepared to try and reawaken Raichu's consciousness yet again with another set of God words but was caught off balance when the attack catapulted through the air once more, creating additional air-holes as Ash called them as the multi-pronged attack soared towards him at the speed of light, faster than any normal earth lightning.

Ash immediately intercepted the attack, focusing all of his infinite willpower on keeping the attack at bay, not expecting the level of resistance he was receiving from it as he realized Raichu was manipulating the electric discharge as well. When it became clear however that neither side would give way to the other, everyone waited on baited breath as Raichu switched tactics, and to Ash's absolute horror, the lightning broke off into several smaller but still infinitely powerful blasts and sailed towards Bonnie, Clemont, Brock, and Froakie at what Ash realized was a googolplex mega parsecs per Planck time, the fastest non infinite velocity currently feasible to absolute speedsters without their velocity becoming incalculable, unless you were an advanced, godlike being who could calculate numbers and do mathematics on a transcendent scale.

Ash reacted in an instant, moving at near infinite velocities so great he didn't even localize, he was moving across the face of infinite universes, realities, and dimensions throughout the omniverse an infinite number of times in the same exact instant, becoming nigh omnipresent and a force of pure, absolute speed and motion, existing in every locality and temporality in the infinite omniverse and yet nowhere at once. Virtually everything in his indigenous omniverse was frozen in time relative to Ash and his vastness, the forks of impossibly fast lightning back on earth notwithstanding, which moved in a slow but still impressive and highly dangerous set of arcs towards his friends and Froakie.

He was one with nearly everybody and everything; he was the cells of their bodies, the source of limitless amounts of speed and motion throughout infinite universes, timelines, and realities, occupying all of them at once. Everything seemed to take forever to happen, seconds became lifetimes, minutes became eternities, and yet it was all instantaneous as well. He ruptured the space-time barrier so flawlessly in his display of nearly absolute speeds; that he had become a transcendent life form that existed in the past, present and future of infinite universes and realities simultaneously. Every speedster throughout the omniverse was now drawing their speed from him and other fundamental speed forces like him. They moved along in their planes of existence in slow motion, never able to match Ash's own velocity as the pallet town trainer felt invincible yet again. He was moving fast enough for his physical avatar to become an omni-embodiment of all things throughout omniversal space and time. In the science of anatomy, people knew that the human body performed countless different tasks every second to keep itself running as smoothly and efficiently as possible; this was the same, only on an infinitely grander scale.

It was crazily, scarily easy to get distracted by his own speed, his ability to help anyone in any point in totality in an instant was _so_ intoxicating, he could instantly transport anything or anyone to anywhere or anytime in the omniverse, such was his speed that he could do an infinite number of things in the same exact instant without anybody being able to keep up with it, he could attack his enemies an infinite number of times in any past or future date throughout reality, before they could even think to react to his assault, and achieve virtually any number of other limitless effects. In short, Ash absolutely loved this feeling, to be moving so fast that one was completely untouchable and existed nearly everywhere and everywhen at once. He would have whooped out of pure joy had it not been for the fact that he couldn't really use his voice box in this form, instead he decided to settle for intercepting the lightning bolts targeting his friends and Froakie all in the same instant, absorbing them into his omnipresent form and neutralizing Raichu's attack all in the same exact instant in time, yet as he did this Ash was constantly seeing visions of his world's past, present, and future all at once, shifting between past, present, and future events endlessly and only fixing on possessed Raichu's moments in time when Ash focused on it, realizing he could change the point where Raichu was possessed or even destroy the collar before his buddy could even think to react to the attack.

Focusing his near limitless speed and presence on prying the collar off, Ash was surprised when he was met with equally limitless resistance, neither side of this conflict budging an inch. Sending out an omnipresent groan of frustration that echoed through every point in totality, Ash decided to reconstitute in his world and three-dimensional space now that his friends were safe, not expecting the horrible surprise he was going to receive once he did return to a single human form.

The absurdly powerful thunderbolt came straight for him the instant he reconstituted, the air turning to ionized ozone in its wake. Ash barely had time to realize that Raichu must have sensed the subtle change in the air as he reformed and fired off his ultra powerful electric attack in retaliation. Quickly stretching out his hand and manifesting all of his telekinetic powers in a pink glow that enveloped his entire body, Ash found to his shock that Raichu had managed to maintain a manipulative hold over its own attack while firing at him with its instantaneous reflexes,

The tremendous energy within the thunderbolt combined with Raichu's absolute power and control over it made it so even Ash's limitless psychic powers couldn't control them as well as he would like, and in a burst of light akin to billions of flash bombs, Ash watched in petrified terror as Froakie jumped between him and the bolt of light and electricity, clearly unaware of the fact that Ash would have easily survived such a low caliber blast due to his absolute physical conditioning and flawless physical, magical, and all other variants of invulnerability. It was cocooned in its gummy frubbles for added protection against the blast, but even still Ash could hear the Kalos water type's screams and felt his perpetual agony on a telepathic level, Froakie's pain affecting Ash in the form of an intense phantom pain, as though the part of him that was once human remembered how much it used to hurt when Raichu shocked him before, only this was infinitely worse. Ash felt absolute, frigid fury and empathy for Froakie's situation course through him as the frog collapsed at his feet, now lying sprawled over the earthy battling terrain in critical condition. The Omega Omnisphere literally tightened around its countless inhabitants as Ash balled his fists; a suffocating, omnipresent pressure squeezing all of totality in response to his anger which rose to previously unsurpassed levels.

It was all fine and good that Raichu used to shock him whenever he was being a spectacular prat, but these fuckers had turned one of his best friends against him and because of their foolish mistake Froakie was now in a critical state. Cold, heartless fury surged through Ash, not the kind of blazing fire that made one do irrational, unpredictable shit like smashing stuff, but a bone chilling, absolute-zero degree sort of anger that dropped the temperature all around you and was perfectly controlled and directed with surgical precision at the true source of Ash's furiousness.

Bonnie felt her chest, bones, and every part of her body tighten as she could literally feel Ash's fury hit her like a palpable, rock solid wall of negative emotion, watching in stunned silence as the young man battled his heart out against his own possessed Pokémon, manifesting some kind of black aura, one that enveloped him in such absolute darkness that he was turned completely invisible. She had never felt such bitter cold in her entire life, not even in the harshest of winters that she knew, this cold affected her on a deeply quintessential level, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally, it penetrated her very core with a biting chill that hit her like a truck!

" _What is he Brock_?" she heard Clement ask with breathless emphasis, all of them feeling the same kind of bodiless pressure squeeze them like an Arbok constricting a Ratata, as if the weight of the sky itself was falling down upon them, fearing Ash's wrathful vengeance which she was absolutely aware of being about to happen. She had a ton of questions now, not all of which regarded Ash's seemingly insane superhuman presence and abilities, like how he was able to move so fast as to materialize next to Raichu instantaneously, faster than thought, only for the Raichu to slip out of his grasp as he tried to grab it with a level of speed and physical strength no human could ever possibly possess? Then there was the instance where Raichu sent an attack to all of them that moved so fast it didn't even localize, yet Ash responded even quicker, somehow moving quick enough to be in five places at once and dispel the attacks Arceus knows how rapidly. Bonnie couldn't even follow what was happening half the time, and just stood there with her mouth agape in awed wonderment watching Ash somehow hold his own against his level infinity Raichu, a feat no human should have been able to accomplish, especially on their lonesome without any Pokémon of their own to protect them.

Yet despite his impossible superhuman powers, there was no way Ash could be invincible, and to be perfectly honest she was absolutely terrified for him, and almost felt relieved when Froakie intercepted the blast intended for her new friend, yet only as that happened did she get a feel for the true scope of Ash's abilities, feeling his presence squeeze the world around him in response to his palpable fury, which she could literally feel being directed with cold, hateful precision towards the three Team Flare grunts along with whomever lead them and the admin those three grunts mentioned.

Raichu was trying to ready another attack as it mindlessly lashed out, the only things it knew perpetual agony, sadness, pain, and anger, everything else completely driven from its mind as it felt an overwhelming and menacing presence direct itself at the cause of his suffering, feeling another emotion fester within the primordial recesses of what remained of his mind, trust, which it harbored for whoever or whatever was so incredibly angry on his behalf, and this was enough for him to stay his paw, no longer sure about anything or who he was attacking. His entire life was a void, his memories of everyone and everything he once held so dear completely overridden by the negative emotions and sensations racking his body, the strange device around its neck forcing it to do things it didn't really want to, and that nagging voice of the strangers who's orders he was powerless to ignore or resist. He had been damned to eternal subordination towards that collar, and the scary monsters that fired it at him whose voices somehow made him do whatever they wanted. He had fought tooth and nail against the voices and the collar, but had given up, no matter how hard it fought the monsters remained as strong as ever, but maybe now he would be saved, if the strange pressure he was feeling and the absolutely stunning and somewhat familiar presence were anything to go by.

Ash's control over his negative emotional spectrum slipped and he surrendered himself to them, to his absolute power over them and everything else, and he was off in a blackened blur of pure speed and motion, materializing next to Raichu and grabbing hold of him with all his might, watching as the electric mouse fought only half-heartedly to escape, seeming to sense that he wasn't a threat and just wanting the pain to end, the fact that he was willing to die at this point furthering Ash's immeasurable anger to borderline murderousness.

He was met with immediate resistance upon trying to forcefully pry the collar off Raichu, his Omni perception and infinite awareness blaring off in his totality sized mind, informing him instantly that the collar was completely, flawlessly indestructible in every sense and aspect as he tried with all his physical force to break it or snap it in two, then tried to will it into nonexistence, or meta teleport it off of Raichu, or Raichu outside of it, none of his countless array of different tactics availing him in the slightest as the brace remained an unbreakable, immovable object. Out of viable options, Ash knew there was only one thing left to do, to achieve the impossible by breaking the unbreakable, or moving the immovable, such feats only achievable through the use of the most powerful form of reality-warping, logic manipulation.

Arceus's voice rang out in his head, clearly sensing what his trainer was about to do. ' _Ash, you can do this without resorting to logic manipulation, there has to be another way. You and I both know how dangerous that ability can be_ ,' the Alpha Pokémon warned, but Ash wasn't hearing it right now; the only thing he cared about was getting this fucking thing off his buddy by any means necessary. ' _I'm not seeing a lot of other options Arceus; this is the only ability I have that is guaranteed to work, and if Omninoir wants to play hard ball by rendering this thing completely indestructible in every sense and aspect, then I'm going to play the wrecking ball. Game's over Arceus, I'm done playing around,_ ' Ash roared in an almighty burst of telepathic energy, his black aura swirling around him menacingly as the almighty trainer closed his eyes and concentrated, sensing all the different variations of infinite possible super powers coursing through him, focusing on one in particular as he tapped into the fundamental force from which every super power in totality was created, a force he himself embodied, controlled, and was connected with, along with every other force in existence.

Feeling the fabric of reality contort all around him as he found the power within him, Ash began defying the laws of logic as he focused this power on the collar and Raichu, whom had gone slump in his grip as both the grunts and Bonnie, Clement, and Brock failed to react, too preoccupied with trying to draw breath as Ash's immense power compressed the entire Omega Omnisphere in a death grip, much like a hand closing around a throat or a vice threatening to crush a piece of metal, everyone felt the weight of the world on their shoulders, times infinity, yet Ash couldn't care less, all he knew was that he had to get this fucking thing off of Raichu by any means necessary, no longer abiding by his idealistic approach and doing whatever the fuck he could to break this damning, stupid machine into little microscopic pieces.

With the power of logic itself obeying his every whim, Ash commanded the collar around his unconscious lightning mouse to cease being indestructible, and to make an exception in its flawless design for him, to allow him to break it off his friend. Even the immovable, unbreakable object crumbled before the force of Ash's logic bending convictions, and within moments of activating the power, Ash pried the now useless device off his starter, breaking it clean in half as he held the Champion level Electric type in his arms and threw the device to ground at his side, gazing emptily and coldly at the three grunts who stood before them in a stupor, their weapon pointed uselessly at the floor as Ash made it explode with his mind, forcing the middle grunt to drop it with all due haste as the other two seemed to snap out of their daze and told their Pokémon Golem and Crobat to attack. Instead of attacking him however, the two Pokémon bowed their heads in the utmost respect before returning themselves of their own accord, evidently honored at having gotten to meet the Chosen Champion of Arceus.

"Gah, stupid Pokémon," the grunts swore as Ash materialized before them, his black aura still manifesting and distorting all of his features, almost giving him the appearance of a demonic god as he towered over them, an imposing figure as Raichu slowly opened his eyes and muttered a weak 'cha' of relief. The single noise caused Ash to immediately stay his hand as he looked down at the creature in his arms; whose infinite energy, stamina, and recovery time allowed it to regain its usual perky attitude in less than a second as it jumped up to Ash's shoulder, by which point the Pallet town trainer's demonic aura had faded entirely.

"Hey buddy, I'm so glad you're okay," Ash whispered soothingly, not even caring about the grunts right in front of them at the moment as he caressed Raichu's cheek with the back of his index finger, earning a contented sigh from his favorite mousy friend. The grunts exchanged nervous glances, attempting to sneak away from their absurdly powerful adversary but not expecting for a barrier to rise up between them and their escape route as Ash held his right hand out in front of him with a sigh, forcing the grunts back into his proverbial net with a lazy flick of his wrist as Bonnie and the others seemed to sense that the turning point was at hand, slowly but surely coming closer as if wondering whether or not it was yet safe. Ash knew that the fight was already won, even if he had a shit ton of explaining to do to Clement, Bonnie, and maybe even Brock, who might wonder how Ash's psychic and spiritual powers allowed him to do some of the things he did, but Ash knew he could just talk over Brock's head with a falsified explanation and the Pewter city resident would leave well enough alone after that.

These three grunts on the other hand, were a problem if Ash let them go off scot free with the knowledge of his abilities in their possession. He was tempted to keep them here and call for Officer Jenny; but had a more diabolical idea in mind, and quickly conjured a holographic projection disk, much like the one Mewtwo had sent him as invitation to New Island, with a tiny holographic version of himself explaining who he was and what he was going to do this new Team Flare if they didn't turn themselves over to the authorities; ignoring Bonnie and Clement's wide eyes upon watching him summon something literally from out of midair before passing it over to the petrified grunts.

"You three are going to take that video recording to your top Admin; and then show it to her. If you do NOT I have placed a curse on all of your life energies designed to self manifest should you disobey my directive; once you leave this place your memories of what you saw during my battle with Raichu will be modified, do you UNDERSTAND?!" Ash growled vehemently, a dangerous edge to his voice, like an omniverse sized volcano about to erupt. None of the grunts even dared to protest as they scurried off, leaving Ash with a self satisfied grin on his face that none of his friends shared as they gazed questioningly at him, eyes dancing with inquiries despite Ash's day not being done yet.

Looking back for Froakie, Ash noticed him laying unconscious in Bonnie's arms as she passed the frog to him without even saying a word, and for the first time Ash got a good look at him with his own, all-seeing eyes. It was still semi wrapped up in its protective cocoon of frubbles, though its breathing was labored, its cells ionized on an over-saturated atomic level, and it was out cold, a feverish sweat running down it as Raichu gazed at Ash in shock. ' _Did... I do this_?' Raichu questioned in disbelief, obviously putting two and two together as Ash shook his head.

"It's not your fault buddy, it was all Team Flare; you weren't acting of your own free will," Ash stated out loud, drawing two pairs of curious eyes as Brock spoke up. "Ash, you've got to hurry up and get that Froakie to the Pokémon center or it's not going to make it," he pointed out as Ash nodded but Bonnie interrupted. "No Brock, the Pokémon center is too far away; professor Sycamore's Pokémon lab is much closer," she stated with a desperate undertone, evidently trying to hold herself together from witnessing today's horrific events and only just barely managing to do so.

"Distance means absolutely nothing to me Bonnie, in case you haven't noticed; but I think Sycamore's lab will do just fine. I was meaning to go there anyway and now I have all the more reason to do so. But before we make all due haste for the Sycamore lab I have a question for the two of you; do you guys get motion sickness?" Ash queried, looking to Bonnie and Clement as he said this while Brock's eyes widened at the hidden implications. "Ash..." he started, but Bonnie overshot him, "well I don't, can't say the same for my big brother, why do you ask," she said back in the same questioning manner as Ash. Ash didn't bother with a verbal response, already summoning his Meta teleportion powers just as Brock's voice yelled out. "Ashton Fredrick Ketchum don't you dare," he boomed but it was too late, and with a quick _pop_ Ash, both Pokémon in his arms and on his shoulders along with Bonnie, Clement, and Brock all vanished in a flash of infinite colors and omniversal displacement...

XXXXX

A hooded, cloaked figure stood inconspicuously atop the otherwise unoccupied roof of Hotel Richissime; awaiting the hopefully triumphant return of her top grunts as she wondered what in the bloody hell those idiots had gotten entangled in this time. She had felt those massive tremors shake the entire city at its very foundations yet was surprised they didn't cause any damage; leaving her to believe a champion level trainer with a fully trained Pokémon was fighting her grunts tooth and nail. Clearly this trainer was protecting the world from the planet busting strength of her grunt's high level shadow Tyranitar through sheer force of will; because the vibrations, shock waves, and tremors should have been shaking the planet apart, if the blunt force she felt resonating throughout the solar system was anything to go by, yet they weren't.

She was tempted to intervene, not wanting her grunts to hurt anyone since that wasn't what Team Flare was about... not anymore; but didn't want to get in the middle of something and not caring much for unnecessary violence or confrontation even if she loved a friendly battle. On the other hand however, a part of her was worried they may have bitten off more than they could chew; because judging by the amount of ionized ozone charging the air throughout the city and the immense increase in the atmosphere's natural electric circuit, she wouldn't have been surprised if they had struck gold and stumbled upon a champion trainer's electric type Pokémon.

Still, their only instructions were to approach strong trainers and relieve said trainers of their Pokémon only long enough for Team Flare to clone them and then promptly return them unharmed while keeping the clones for their vast, ever-increasing armies of shadow Pokémon. This particularly army was one that the girl admin didn't want any part of; shadow Pokémon lacked the heart hers did along with the capacity to grow, whereas her Pokémon loved her and had been trained to a level of infinity. They were not however, supposed to forcefully extract said Pokémon and if the trainers resisted their initial attempts to 'borrow' their Pokémon they were to leave at once; but somehow she got the feeling her idiot grunts were too pigheaded and prone to violence to listen to such basic and simple instructions.

' _Amber, I can sense a source of infinite life force that isn't a level infinity Pokémon somewhere in the city; whoever it is I think it might be the champion level trainer your grunts were fighting, speaking of the devil here they come now_ ,' a bodiless, telepathic voice echoed inside her mind. The girl, evidently called Amber; heaved a great sigh of exasperation as she saw her grunts shuffling out onto the roof through the attic-like hatch door opening up behind her. She could immediately tell something was wrong given the glassy, horror struck expressions plastered on their zombie-like faces. They ambled towards her as if in a powerful trance and mindless state; leaving her to wonder what the hell had happened to them.

' _Thanks for the info Yveltal, I'll handle it,_ ' Amber spoke back mentally in a rare instance of seriousness, knowing her omnipotent destruction Pokémon could hear every word inwardly spoken. "What happened to you three? If you've disobeyed my instructions again I'll be royally pissed off," she demanded in a halfhearted attempt at sounding forceful; speaking aloud for the first time in a highly attractive sounding feminine voice. The middle grunt, the one in charge of the operation; didn't say anything and instead handed her a strange looking disc with some kind of tiny bluish gem-like object in the center. Evidently they were far too much in shock by what happened to the three of them to even voice any sort of explanation.

"A holographic projection disk," Amber said automatically in a questioning manner, wondering who or what had the kind of technological savvy to create something like this aside from Team Flare and their limitless resources, and happily anticipating the answer to that question; was it possible she had found someone who could get her out from under Team Flare's thumb? She knew she shouldn't get her hopes up; but someone had gone to the trouble of constructing some sort of holographic video to address her and her fellow insurgents. Upon hearing her voice the disk blared to life, a tiny holographic image flashing up out of the gemstone and expanding the cover the entirety of it. The image manifested as a tiny version of a young man about Amber's age; who was unequivocally the most inhumanly attractive person she's ever laid eyes on, male or female since she was bisexual. She watched him intently as he began to speak, her breath catching in her throat; a full body blush and a white-hot inferno burning inside her.

"Greetings my mysterious admin of Team Flare, rest assured your grunts have not suffered any permanent damage to their psyche; nor have I injured them in any other way despite my being completely justified in doing so. I'll get right to the point, I possess the power to inflict agony upon them the likes of which you and your fellow insurgents can scarcely imagine. In case it is not already obvious, I am Ashton Fredrick Ketchum; son of the current Pokémon League World Champion, secret leader and boss of the international Police and the Pokémon G-Men. The G-Men are an elusive, world champion approved affiliation with the license to kill whenever deemed necessary, and I have a number of other credentials I'm not interested in listing at this time.

Know this my mysterious girl, if you or your grunts ever again attempt to pilfer my Raichu or any of my other Pokémon or those of my friends, family, colleagues, of any and all of my other affiliations including my rivals; I will not be so lenient again and will be forced to turn this matter over to my collaborating leader of the International Pokémon G-Men Lance. He is not quite as merciful as I and arguably as powerful in the art of Pokémon Mastery; more than willing to use his level Infinity Dragon types to level entire cities populated by criminals if need be. So consider yourselves warned, do not trifle with me or my friends ever again, and if you ever show yourselves again you will learn the full scope of me and my Pokémon's abilities. Do NOT disregard this message or think of me as one to give an empty threat; I am promising you all that you're messing with forces you cannot hope to control.

Now, onto other matters before I conclude this message," the holographic Ash paused a minute while seeming to stare at Amber through the darkness of her hood; Amber being forced to watch as she felt herself being drawn to him for reasons she couldn't explain. She had been listening with rapt attention, studying the boy's features, unable to keep from blushing for some reason; though luckily her cloak and dagger routine kept her grunts from noticing this, as well as the sudden flicker of hope inside of her that this person was not all talk and was really as powerful as he claimed. She started paying more attention to the little details, like the tiny holographic Raichu sitting on the boy's shoulder; the same one he mentioned that her grunts had gone after.

"You admin, are the one I am holding personally responsible for letting these bastards off of the leash. Your directives have lead to these idiots seriously injuring a Froakie while trying to turn my own Raichu against me by means of mind control collars. That is not something I can easily forgive or ever forget. Now I am taking the necessary precautions to secure Froakie's good health, and by the way; I'm onto your little plan about capturing high level Pokémon to create vast armies of XD caliber shadow Pokémon. Yes I am fully aware of the former Team Cipher's tyrannical reign and being the son of the world champion and an old friend and student of professor Oak gives me a lot of pull amongst some of the world's most powerful and influential people as well as access to pretty much all recorded information on this earth.

You might want to keep all that in mind next time you try to sick a Shadow Tyranitar on someone; a shadow Pokémon I have now relieved you all of and intend to purify, trust me when I say that I have the means to purify even a shadow Pokémon of this caliber. But just to rub salt into the wound that now invalidates your Team Flare pride; I plan to let it keep its shadow Pokémon powers while at the same time allowing its heart to be open and give it the power to level up.

Surprisingly enough, it has been brought to my attention that this Pokémon is Hexa Perfect at level 100, and has the ability Sandstream; its effects at an equally high level and causing continuous and enormous damage to the opposing Pokémon. But my point is, I've perfected the Shadow Pokémon transformation so as to keep all of the perks without any of the detriments; a feat I am quite proud of and would be happy to share with all of you so long as you and yours swallow your pride and work in tandem with the Police and other Pokémon League approved affiliations. Together we can save the world, divided we split it apart; remember that my young friends. Forever united, never we will fall," Ash's rich, deep, masculine voice concluded. And with that his video transmission ended and the holograph disappeared; leaving Amber majorly disappointed as the grunts stared at the disk with absolute loathing. They'd since regained some of their spunk and refused to be told what to do by a kid; regardless of how much power and influence that kid may have had.

"How dare he; that, that _uppity fucking asshole;_ does he think we'll surrender just because he said so and threatened to hurt us if we didn't?!" her lead grunt spat angrily, but to his and the other grunts' surprise, Amber just giggled. "Ha, he's actually kinda cute," she snickered in a good natured tone. For the first time in years, she felt at ease and like maybe she could get out of this life debt she owed Lysandre. Ash may not have realized it, but he just given her hope for the first time in almost ten years, one could only imagine how invaluable of an asset he would be to Team Flare's ranks if they managed to get their claws on him. She knew she needed to get to him first, maybe earn his trust before trying to explain her situation. She knew Ash was angry with her grunts for what they did and that accusation was most valid indeed; especially if what he implicated against them was true. Knowing that Lysandre was undermining her authority as his so called second in command and directing her grunts behind her back; Amber realized that the leader of Team Flare was no longer as trusting of her intentions due to her strong sense of morality. She wasn't stupid by any means, she knew she was in too deep with the wrong people; unfortunately Lysandre literally held her life in his hands and could snuff it out on a whim, but she absolutely refused to be damned to eternal subordination towards that monster. His thin veneer of benevolence and his act of seeking redemption had been seen through by her many years ago; and when she tried to defect at age fifteen he inflicted agony on her that was beyond anything she'd ever imagined. It was then that she realized that her very life force and entire existence was bound to him; but if Ash Ketchum was a man of limitless means like he said he was maybe she could convince him to help her without directly telling him that she was under duress so that Lysandre wouldn't catch onto her plan. To succeed with this plan however; Amber needed to come up with some excuse to feed her grunts and by extension Lysandre to justify the actions she planned to take in the near future.

Feeling confidence in her own skills of deception, Amber knew what she had to do, she had to earn Ash's trust, friendship, and support without tipping off Lysandre to what she was doing. It would be tough, nigh impossible even; but she wanted out of this gig and Lysandre was never going to let her go, she wasn't naive enough to believe that anymore because she was too valuable an asset to him. But someone of Ash's caliber, perhaps it was possible that whatever means Lysandre used to bind her to him were reversible and perhaps Ash would have the answer. She found herself wanting to get to know him first, knowing that trust and friendship was key to earning the support of someone such as him. She also needed to make it clear to him how much his help would mean to her in the long run and found herself willing to do _anything_ to earn that trust so long as she didn't have to bind herself to him instead. Actually, that might not be such a bad thing in Ash's case if his obvious sense of morality he displayed in that video was anything to go by. She was a pretty good judge of character and could usually tell a good man when she saw one; which made what she was planning to do for him all the sweeter in the knowledge that he'd never take advantage of her vulnerability. She wanted to excite and entice him, to swallow whatever pride she may have had and admit she needed his help while at the same time reassuring him that she could make it damn well worth his while to do so.

She didn't know what she could offer him if he truly was a man of such means, but something told her that her companionship and even... herself would be more than enough. She'd been forced to commit horrible atrocities and sins in the past but if Ash could somehow look past all that she'd be absolutely honored to let him make her a woman and to take the one thing she'd never given to any of the men she'd been forced to distract using her body while her grunts and fellow admins made off with certain Pokémon and items. She was disgusted by what she'd been made to do but had never gone past the point of giving those poor men a blowjob or a handjob, but if Ash wanted to go the whole mile with her and was genuinely willing to help her then ulterior motives or not she was going to give him... _everything_.

With all this in mind and with her last hope of escaping Lysandre's clutches hinging on Ash Ketchum; she found herself wanting to go the extra mile to really wow and excite him, to dress her best and look her best in order to completely knock his socks off the moment he met her under her aliased name. She couldn't explain why she so irresistibly drawn to him, even with the holographic projection giving her an idea of how good looking he was she was surprised by how powerful the pull towards him she was feeling was. She hadn't developed a crush on somebody this intense since... She shook herself out of her memories; that life was behind her now. As far the world was concerned, Amber Valentino was dead and buried; only Team Flare knew she was truly alive, a truth she knew she needed to keep intact for now unless she wanted Lysandre out for her blood.

She had a strange feeling this meeting would eventually spark one of the truest friendships and most eternal bonds she could ever have forged, and she found herself both dreading and anticipating what may or may not happen as a result of this encounter. One of her grunts cleared his throat, earning her attention, "I'm sorry, I totally spaced; what was that?" Amber questioned, finding it highly disconcerting how this unholy trio didn't have any known names they went by; nor did they seem to have any individuality from each other. Not to mention that the one in the middle was always the only one to speak. She didn't really know them as people and they only ever seemed to act as robots; as emotionless, soulless beings built to serve Team Flare and only Team Flare. There was no greater purpose, no freedom to live as they chose, born only to serve.

"I said... what should we do about the Ketchum boy?" he grunted out with slight irritation; forcing Amber to reconsider whether or not they had emotions, but still were they real emotions or were they just preprogrammed? She mentally shuddered and decided not to further entertain these thoughts, knowing that some things were best left unknown. "Leave him to me; I have plans of my own for mister Ash Ketchum. In the meantime however I want you three to focus on finding a new high level Pokémon for us to clone for our ongoing shadow Pokémon project. I'll keep Ash otherwise occupied and much too distracted to run interference this time," Amber ordered them authoritatively, and they all three nodded and prepared for their respective assignments. Perfect, everything was set for her to put her carefully devised plan into place. ' _Look, I know I don't pray to a higher power all that much but Arceus; if you can hear me, please let this plan of mine work. Or at least, make some good come out of it if it does end up backfiring_ ,' Amber prayed briefly as Yveltal and all of her other Pokémon sighed sadly, powerless to do anything to help her. The binding that Lysandre inflicted upon their trainer extended to them as well, and even in their omnipotent Primal Forms both Xerneas and Yveltal couldn't undo the contract or whatever it was without the omnipotence paradox immediately invalidating their supremacy and killing them. If they wanted to help their trainer, they were going to need outside help; the kind that could get away with severing their trainer's enslavement indirectly without any one of them dying. Whatever the hell Lysandre was or whatever dark powers were at work here; they were competent enough at utilizing their omnipotent powers to render them all powerless to do anything about it. Yveltal had been especially frustrated; he just didn't understand how he could have the unlimited powers of an almighty god and still feel so powerless. If he ever got the opportunity he'd make Lysandre pay the piper and drain all his life force slowly and very, VERY painfully.

Amber, oblivious to the thoughts running through her Pokémon's minds; decided to pay a visit to the boutique in Lumiose city that sold the cutest, sexiest, most provocative clothing she could find. She wanted to at least impress Ash and insinuate that she could make his time spent helping her worth his while. With the perfect shop in mind, Amber took a running start before jumping clear off the roof of the best hotel in the city; manifesting her new strange powers that she just suddenly woke up with this morning and landing on the city street perfectly invisible. There was nary a trace of a scratch on her to indicate that the thirty story drop had done any damage; her 12 level infinity Pokémon were on standby in the event that Ash worked things out on his own about her... situation and jumped to some inaccurate conclusions...

XXXXX

"You're bullshitting me Serena!" a loud, boisterous, somewhat obnoxious voice said at the top of her lungs, the restaurant/Ice Cream shop in Aquacorde town practically quaking in response to the voice. "Calm down Shauna, I'm not bullshitting you, I promise," Serena's softer, much more respectfully silent voice replied, as she became aware of several other people, waiters and diners alike, shooting them curious glances as Calem sat beside Shauna and across from Serena in the opposite booth, his eyes rolling at Shauna's natural loudness.

"So your mom finally caved, I can't believe this, based on the way you talked about her I thought this day would never come," Shauna gushed excitedly, unable to contain her infectious euphoria as both Serena and Calem couldn't help smiling to, the intense positive emotions passing between all three of them as though Serena were telepathically broadcasting them. "Yep, she and I finally talked you guys... about everything," Serena admitted, while Calem's eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter and Shauna beamed at her. "So what'd she say about all that?" Calem spoke, his deep baritone voice having a strangely quieting effect on Shauna as she shuffled restlessly in her seat, and Serena told them everything that had happened barring her strange dream, which was sketchy at best now and all she could remember of it was that she had been Kalos queen and Ash had been there watching her, though she couldn't help feeling that more happened last night in her world of dreams than she was remembering right now, and she couldn't shake the inexplicable impression that whatever it was had been extremely important and potentially life-altering on a grand scale.

Ever since waking up that morning, Serena's brain had been constantly active and was coming up with strange, super smart ideas for performances that went infinitely beyond her previous genius, on top of that she had been running down Route One to the next town over from Vaniville town to meet and catch up with her two best friends, and had put in an inexplicable burst of speed during the final stretch of her sprint, not entirely certain due to her excitement and adrenaline doing funny things to her head, but she could have sworn there was a sonic boom trailing behind her as well as strange violet colored flash of light, but clearly she had been imagining things because that was _impossible_.

She found herself unable to forget _anything_ , even the tiniest details of Shauna and Calem's faces, and could picture everything she had ever read or seen in her mind in flawless detail, having never had a photographic memory before and wondering where in the hell she had gotten one now, just out of the blue? On top of that, she found herself remembering more and more of her times with Ash, recalling his cute, athletic, camper boy face with excruciatingly precise detail and totally recalling his intoxicating scent whenever he talked to her, how warm he had been whenever they hugged, and how soft his hair had been the few times she had seen him sleeping and felt brave enough to run her hands through it. Her memories of all these things, which had dwindled and slowly diminished over time, were now much sharper and clearer than they ever were before, almost as if she had only just left him yesterday, yet all her now perfect memories of what happened beyond their short but sweet time together told her it had been a very long time ago indeed, exactly 9 years, 11 months, and 18 days ago, on July 6th, 2004 at 11:03 AM sharp when she and her mother had first pulled out of Pallet town on their way to the airport. _Whoa_ , since when the fuck did she remember stuff like that?!

Now it was July 24th, 2013, one day until her 18th birthday, and one day until her Pokémon journey from 8 years in the making could finally start, and she could work her ass off to find Ash and hopefully become somebody he could be proud of again, or at the very least someone he didn't hate for leaving him. The more she recalled things so absolutely, the more she became afraid that Ash either wouldn't remember her, or resent her for leaving him and not coming to find him the instant they were off on their respective journeys despite the fact that she hadn't gone on one. Neither scenario sounded very much like the Ash she knew, given how forgiving and easy going he always was but who knew, such a life altering event as losing your best friend and not understanding why it had to be that way, could have made him bitter and cold, she could only pray that she was wrong about that and her worries were all for naught.

"She and I finally came to an understanding you guys. Finally... after 10 agonizing years I feel like we can be a proper family again, and I have you to thank for that Shauna. You told me not to give up on us just yet and look at how it paid off?!" Serena cooed euphorically, refusing to let anything rain on her parade today, not even the curious eyes they were drawing was enough to stop her internal happy dance. " _See_ , what I'd tell ya Serena, you can't give up on family, and she's the only one you've got, so you guys got to stick together," Shauna advised her sagely, and Serena found herself nodding happily in agreement as Calem spoke up again.

"Speaking of family, have you heard anything from your wayward father recently?" he questioned hesitantly, seeming afraid to voice the question as Shauna elbowed him in the ribs, scolding him about his lack of tact as Serena merely shrugged it off. "It's okay Shauna, Calem didn't say anything that offends me; to answer your question Calem, I haven't seen nor heard from my stupid asshole of a father since I was 5 years old. And although he still sends us money and me birthday and Christmas presents from wherever he is right now, I'd still rather have him home with us," Serena admitted somewhat sorrowfully, the subject of her missing dad being one of the few major sore spots in her life, her departure from Ash outstripping it as the worst moment of her life by just a few notches.

"Hey, I just realized something, now you can finally track down that boyfriend of yours you left behind in Kanto, what was his name again?" Shauna stated unabashedly, as this time Calem elbowed her, his and Serena's face flushing bright red, though Serena's was from embarrassment while Calem's was from seething envy and jealousy, knowing that Ash Ketchum was the one Serena had thought about every day the two of them dated, and not wanting to reopen old wounds, yet he sensed this change of topic was a welcome one to Serena, and decided to let it slide just this once, given the fact that speaking about her father always put a damper in her usually happy outlook on life.

"His name is Ash, and he's not my boyfriend," Serena insisted, yet just the memory of Ash's soft kiss on her lips the day she left Pallet town was enough to have her heart start doing a running marathon in her chest, remembering in exquisite detail just how soft, warm, and smooth his inhumanly perfect lips had been that day thanks to her now suddenly perfect memory and total recall, her blush intensifying to a full body blush that had both Shauna and Calem staring at her in obvious concern as she felt a very pleasurable, traitorous heat resonate throughout her entire body, betraying her true feelings despite her stubborn insistence that she and Ash were only childhood BFFs.

"Serena you okay, I mean blushing in embarrassment is one thing but you look almost feverish?" Calem noted, seeming bothered by something as Serena shook her head at them reassuringly. "No guys I'm fine, I was just remembering something. Honestly I had a really strange sleep last night and everything just feels so weird and different today, not only that but I keep having this strange feeling that something big is about to go down, maybe even later today," Serena confided in them, as Shauna merely stared at her with her head tilted to one side and Calem gazed at her in a calculating manner.

"Man, what is it with you and your strange feelings? I remember when you said it was going to snow out last Christmas, despite Vaniville town's long history of no white Christmases, and Calem and I tried to argue with you that we haven't had a white Christmas in decades, yet it somehow happened anyways," Shauna reminded her as Serena groaned, Calem rattling off all the other times Serena had displayed an almost prophetic ability to read a person's fortune, or act as the one and only weather girl who got the weather forecast right every time, and a whole sleuth of other things such as her ability to sense a Pokémon's latent potential and natural base powers as compared to other members of their species, meeting and bonding with a Hexa Perfect Fennekin with its hidden Magician ability at Sycamore's lab, an ability that allowed it to magically steal every item off of every person or Pokémon she touched just by touching them.

Sycamore had been astounded by Serena's abilities, saying she may have had the gifts of the IV judges who were well known in Kiloude city in Kalos, the Battle Frontier in Sinnoh, the Battle Subway station in Unova, and other places in the world where people like that tended to hang out and judge a Pokémon's latent potential and whether or not it was perfect, or infinite as it was also called. It wasn't as an ability as well known as psychic humans or guardians of aura, but Sycamore assured her that this gift was not completely unheard of, and she had been happy to have bonded with a Pokémon with so much latent power and potential inside of her that it made Serena's head spin.

"Okay, okay, I get it, I'm some big weirdo with freakish talents, no need to rub it in Calem," Serena huffed rather indignantly, and Calem suppressed a smirk as he stopped talking. "Oh calm down Serena, we're only teasing," Shauna chuckled as Calem continued grinning at her like a cheeky Persian, forcing her to stifle a few giggles of her own by partially stuffing her fist inside her mouth. She honestly didn't know what she had done to deserve such wonderful friends, and felt like she had to convey to them somehow how important they were to her these past years before they all departed on their respective journeys.

"So guys, I realize that the time is almost upon us to finally begin our Pokémon journeys, and before we do there are just some things I would like to say," Serena started, and Shauna was about to say how Serena didn't really need to say anything but Calem held up a hand, effectively silencing her and urging Serena to continue, wanting to hear what she had to say. "Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks you guys... for everything you've done for me these past 10 years, like delaying your own journeys despite getting permission from your parents to go so I wouldn't have to be stuck here all by myself with nothing to do, or for doing your absolute best to make our imprisonment here as enjoyable as possible for me and for yourselves as well, and honestly a whole plethora of other reasons I am too lazy to mention and am sure you guys already know, so thank you again, truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you _so_ much," Serena whispered with pure love and adoration, feeling like if anybody could have been considered her best friends aside from Ash it was these two wonderful people sitting across from her, Shauna sipping her milkshake while listening to her heartfelt thanks with glistening eyes threatening to spill tears of joy, and Calem just smiling at her adoringly, making her feel like she was on top of the world. It was true what Ash once said, friendship really does conquer all, and with these friends she felt like she could do anything or bare any hardship so long as they were alright and on their own journeys alive, safe, and happy, and ever by her side in spirit.

"Anyways, time is short, and I want us to be finished packing for our respective journeys before my mom finishes her talk with professor Sycamore. I know for a fact that I'm choosing Fennekin, especially after bonding with one so well during my last visit to Lumiose city and Sycamore's lab, what about you guys?" Serena announced, ending her remark with an inquiry. Calem didn't even hesitate to respond, "well I'm gonna see if I can possibly arrange for Sycamore to send a protean, hexa perfect Froakie my way, I really want to get into competitive battling and strategy in time for the Kalos Pokémon League in about a year," Calem admitted as Serena nodded in remembrance. "Yeah I already mentioned that to my mom ages ago, so I'm sure she has brought it to Sycamore's attention by now, assuming you haven't already during our frequent visits to his laboratory you little Pokémon prodigy" Serena giggled teasingly as Calem blew her a playful raspberry and Shauna snickered while contemplating her own answer, but Serena was preoccupied with a package Calem had suddenly brought out of his traveling bag.

"Well, since I was planning on catching Hexa Perfect, competitive Pokémon with infinite IV spreads and their best abilities; I ordered these from Devon Corp for all three of us, and it looks like they got here in a knick of time," Calem said as he pushed the already opened box towards Serena, "I already took mine out and strapped it to my arm; it's in the form of a bracelet so it will be easy to use," Calem reassured them as Serena looked at the complicated device in her hand, with a weird scanner on it that was blinking in various colors.

"Is this what I think it is?" Serena asked in bewilderment, and Calem nodded as Shauna took hers out and grinned at her long time crush and best friend Calem, unable to contain her excitement as she threw her arms around him. "Oh thank you Calem, this is such an amazing gift," Shauna cooed excitedly as she let go of him just as quickly, leaving him wide open to another monstrous hug compliments of Serena.

"I can't believe you bought us a set of Pokenav Plusses, and with the latest Dex Nav features no less," Serena whisper-shouted as Calem smiled. "That scanner on the end of it with the blinking light is the real prize Serena. It will glow bright gold whenever there is a hexa Perfect or legendary Pokémon nearby, though from what I've heard all legendary Pokémon are technically hexa perfect, but anyways. It combines all the knowledge and information of the national Pokedex with the mystical properties of the ancient artifacts known as Astral gems, which back in the day were used to capture and contain any number of Pokémon that members of the monarchy and high profile magical creature masters prized, supposedly the gems would glow gold in the presence of a perfect Pokémon just as these Dex Nav scanners do. Apparently, you can use them to track down any Pokémon in the world, legendary or otherwise; and even include hexa perfect members of any Pokémon species in your search criteria, all with the pushes of the right buttons and the right settings and stuff. For simplicity's sake, these scanners automatically default to the hexa perfect search settings, ignoring any Pokémon that is not competitively perfect and possesses infinite latent potential," Calem informed them, ever the wealth of information as Serena and Shauna both hugged him again, Shauna going the extra mile and planting a kiss on both his cheeks Kalosian style as she and Calem immediately backed away from each other, blushing to the roots of their hair.

"Anyways," Calem continued once he had regained his composure, "I was planning on ordering us some mega rings straight from the Hoenn region since they are a bit easier to find and get there, but given their priceless value it would have taken too long for them to show up here given all the extra security that would need to be put in place to keep them safe during the shipping, so I just decided it was probably best that we head to Shalour city and ask for our mega rings from the Mega Evolution Guru living in the same building as the Shalour city gym," Calem finished, and Serena felt extremely touched by how much trouble Calem was going to for them as she strapped her Dex Nav Plus around her arm, complete with the instant phone feature and noticing that Calem had already added his and Shauna's numbers into her phone app as well as Tierno and Trevor's and even professor Sycamore's, all of whom had their own Dex Nav plusses or Pokegears imported from Johto, all of them just a phone call away as Calem rambled on about taking the Pokémon League by storm and training his hexa perfect Pokémon to a level of infinity, starting with his Protean Froakie and working his way up to the world championship.

"So Serena, you feeling excited yet?" Shauna spoke up, catching both Calem and Serena's undivided attention in turn as Serena nodded briskly like a little kid, a gleeful smile etched on her perfect face as Calem found himself wanting to kiss her, to hold her as he used to during the short but sweet time they dated. He was glad though, that they were able to look past the breakup and stay friends, even if he still carried some form of his romantic attraction to her over into their newfound platonic friendship. Yet despite his lingering feelings for Serena, he was confused about his feelings for a certain brunette as of late, especially when said brunette had just kissed him so out of the blue, even if it was only on the cheek.

He'd technically known Shauna all his life, back in Johto where they used to live and in Kalos where their families had decided to both move to Vanville town, which was around the same year they met Serena who once lived in that town before. It had taken him and Shauna the better part of two days to become Serena's newest friends; and over a year to make her smile, since she had been wallowing in depression over the loss of the mysterious boy she left behind in Kanto. It had also taken them just as long to learn this mysterious boy's name, and by then Serena had finally opened up to them all the way because she wanted to, on her terms not on theirs.

For two whole months Calem had been perfectly content as Serena's boyfriend, but he could tell something was bothering her about their newfound relationship status and after hours of coaxing her by assuring her she could tell him anything, she finally told him why they could never truly be together, because as long as she and Ash left things unsaid or unresolved between each other, so long as that chapter in her life refused to close all the way, then every second of every day of her life she would be thinking about him, and she didn't feel like that was fair to him as her current boyfriend, yet despite her insisting that she had some unresolved stuff with Ash Ketchum, Calem could see the immense feelings of pent up passion and loved she had harbored for the boy for all these years, and immediately knew she wasn't even aware of them.

He had read somewhere that people in love often weren't consciously aware of it, and that romantic love could cause the logical side of somebody's brain to shut down, and somehow whenever they were together Serena had never behaved irrationally or given herself over to whatever feelings she had for him, which obviously meant those feelings couldn't have been that strong and she was subconsciously trying to relieve the heartache she felt from the painful memory of leaving Ash by dating him, something he couldn't really blame her for since she was just trying to let go a little, yet she just couldn't, and Calem knew she would have to come to grips with the reality of her situation and her feelings for Ash before she ever truly found happiness and the loneliness in her heart was gone forever.

"Anyways you guys, I really need to head back home to finish packing, and I suggest you guys do the same as well because I bet professor Sycamore is going to send those Pokémon to us really soon," Serena insisted as she chugged the last of her half-way melted strawberry milkshake, watching as Calem did the same followed immediately by Shauna. "You guys go on ahead, I'll cover our cheques," Calem reassured them as Shauna smiled appreciatively and Serena gazed at him questioningly, wondering if he was really okay with that.

After receiving a reassuring nod and a smile, Calem ushered her off with a wave of his hand jokingly as she giggled and departed the restaurant in a bit of a sprint, easily catching up to and blazing past Shauna so fast that her shoes were literally heating up and she could've sworn she smelt smoke coming off of them. When she slowed down to gaze at her feet they were fine. Turning around, she saw she had run all the way to Vaniville town in a split second, not sure how the fuck she had gotten there so bloody fast since it was a five kilometer walk at least, her line of sight somehow spotting Shauna's distant form running to catch up to her as fast as her legs could move, and Serena could see the details of her reddened face on an almost microscopic level as she hurried along the straight and narrow path. Looking at the smoking trail she left behind her in a daze, the sand having turned into glass from the enormous heat and friction she created, Serena started at her hands and down her body, which was vibrating far faster than any normal human body could vibrate, her heart now beating a million miles an hour as her fearful curiosity caused her to voice the question she had been asking herself all day in an emphatic, worried tone, " _what's happening to me?!_ "

XXXXX

In an instant, Ash, Bonnie, Clement, Brock, and Raichu materialized just outside of the front door of professor Sycamore's laboratory; standing conspicuously between two skyscrapers with a giant glass dome containing a Pokémon greenhouse extending behind it, but Ash didn't even pause for a second as he looked around him at all his friends, watching as both Brock and Clement were hunched over and heaving, two differently colored piles of bile between their legs, the conversion of their molecules into limitless pure motion obviously the cause of their motion sickness. Even old Brocko was looking rather green as he regained his composure and reserved the stern talking to he was going to give Ash when he saw the state Froakie was in, knowing now was not the time to be giving him shit and that he needed to hold himself back until said Kalos water type was safe and sound in the Pokémon lab's treatment center.

Bonnie looked like she was torn between feeling concerned for Froakie and asking Ash to teleport them again, the end result a crazed and excited look in her eyes that Ash couldn't help smiling at despite the precarious situation they found themselves in. "What on earth did you do?! Never mind, we need to get Froakie help, then we can make time for long overdue discussions," Clemont stated analytically after catching his breath, as Ash nodded and they all ran inside with due haste, shouting Sycamore's name at the top of their lungs and with the utmost urgency, Froakie's lithe form growing weaker by the second.

"Professor Sycamore, where are you?!" Ash called out, both telepathically and out loud at the same time, his inner voice startling Clemont and Bonnie upon realizing that he was speaking both out loud and inside their heads, a highly disconcerting feeling that made their heads spin almost as badly as that strange means of teleportation Ash used. Finally after calling for what seemed like the umpteenth time, a tired voice replied from somewhere to their right in the adjacent hall leading away from the corridor, a flight of stairs in front of them leading to the upper floors as Sycamore appeared before them with a loud yawn.

"Oh my, that's Froakie. Sophie, Sophie, get down here as fast as possible, Froakie needs medical attention right now!" Sycamore shouted, recognizing the situation for what it was almost immediately and rushing over to them to take Froakie from Ash's delicate hands, leaving the Pallet town prodigy to wonder if Sycamore knew this Froakie somehow. Before he could ask however, a bespectacled, dark haired girl came sprinting down the stairs at breakneck speeds, scooping up the injured frog type in her arms with all the tender loving care of a mother holding her newborn child and escorting him to the medical center back up the stairs and disappearing through one of the several doors on the second floor.

Upon seeing their unappeased expressions, Sycamore sought to reassure them as he did a quick head count and determined that Bonnie and Clement were there along with two other people and a Raichu. The two boys were clearly the oldest of their group and one of them carried an aura of tremendous power within him as he quickly got their attention. "Don't worry, Froakie's in good hands, Sophie is a professional; now let's see if I can treat you guys to some refreshments upstairs while you guys fill me in how Froakie ended up in this sorry state," Sycamore requested kindly as he lead them up the first flight of stairs to the second floor, where a hallway of adjacent doors on both sides extended from both the left and right of them, the windows at the far wall past the top of the stairs granting a perfect view of the greenhouse, where various Pokémon were playing including a rather calm and serene looking Garchomp.

Bonnie was gushing at the sight of them, but suddenly remembered why they were here and realized she was more interested in things aside from Pokémon for once, wondering what Ash would tell them and how honest he would be with them about the crazy things they'd seen him do. Raichu looked absolutely ridden with guilt laying on his shoulders, and Bonnie couldn't feeling sorry for it since it appeared to be blaming itself, but how could it have even known what was going to happen, let alone react in time when it was still recovering from the fear that strange evil vibe had driven inside all of their hearts.

Sycamore was just about to lead them to the door on the far right when the sliding doors slid open to reveal a new person standing in the entrance hall; a person whose presence captured everybody's attention as Ash realized he couldn't get a proper reading on it despite all his infinite awareness. Quickly turning around to see the newcomer; Ash and the others stopped to stare as a ball dropping, beautiful woman came gliding gracefully up the stairs as though just noticing that they were not on the main floor. She quickly caught Ash's eyes as she reached the top of the stairs, and the sight of her impetuous, teasing smirk as she got a good look at him caused his vision to tunnel slightly.

She was simply breathtaking, with silky auburn hair cascading in gentle waves down past her shoulders and eyes such a rich shade of amber that they were literally pure gold. Her face was perfectly rounded, with curves and physical assets that could've won her the global beauty pageants; her full pink lips looked so utterly kissable. As if all that wasn't impressive enough, but she also had a double d-cup bust, which was even further accentuated by the magenta colored shirt exposing her mid-drift with dark pink hearts on that chest of hers. The word ' _Angel_ ' was elegantly etched across the biggest heart of all. The hearts were stitched directly over her partially exposed cleavage. To complete the ensemble, she sported denim short shorts and wore casual flip-flips exposing her bare feet; which had simple red nail polish painted on the toenails.

Ash inwardly groaned at her overtly obvious good looks; sensing what was going to happen next as Brock began to take on his super pervert mode. They were both surprised when Bonnie stepped right up to the girl in front of them and got down on one knee as if to propose; which weirdly enough was exactly what she did. "Oh beautiful girl, like an angel made by Arceus above, please take care of my brother," Bonnie requested ever so kindly as several things happened at once. First and foremost the girl smirked down at Bonnie and Clemont blushed as red as fire truck; second was both Sycamore and Ash unable to hold in their mirth as they snickered at Bonnie's proposal and Clemont's more than flustered reaction to it. Finally, there was Brock who had crawled into a fetal position further down the hallway; a dark blue aura seemingly coming off of him as he realized he'd been effectively beaten to the punch.

"Bonnie I told you to stop this a million times," Clemont spluttered, apologizing to the girl profusely; but he visibly jolted with shock when she simply giggled at his flustered reaction. "It's okay Clemont, your sister is just looking out for you, and besides that you're kind of cute in a geeky sort of way; but I'm not really looking for a serious relationship right now," the girl replied with a cute cheeky grin. Evidently, she enjoyed adding to Clemont's embarrassment as Ash reminded himself that Clemont and Bonnie were probably fairly well known throughout the city and that was why this girl; whoever she was, knew them by name.

"Anyways, I appreciate the offer Bonnie, but I'm afraid I must respectfully decline. Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll find someone who is just perfect for your brother," she smiled reassuringly as Bonnie beamed at her; already liking this girl's attitude as everyone else waited for them to finish talking. "Anyways, I'm sure you all must be wondering who I am; so why don't we head to wherever it is you guys were going and I'll introduce myself properly. I hope that's alright with you professor Sycamore sir. I'm sorry for just barging in on you like this, but I was interested in learning more about your field of research. The implications of mega evolution and the infinite possible applications it has intrigues me," the girl stated with profound intelligence. Sycamore waved off her apology with an understanding smile; evidently glad somebody was interested in his new topic of research. His research didn't exactly pay well, the resources for Mega Evolution were scarce, and he only had a handful of people with strong enough bonds with their Pokémon to test out some possible mega stones.

"Not at all my dear, please feel free to join us and we can discuss mega evolution in further detail. Now, if you guys will follow me I'd like us to chat in the guest room at the far end of this hall," Sycamore said, leading them past the stairway up to the third floor where one of the 5 or so Pokémon researchers working in this building. Ash could sense their presences in the various rooms throughout the lab as Sycamore distractedly led them all to the farthest room down the hall. He had some research papers in hand and was alternating between checking them over and leading them all on as everybody reached the furthest door on the right. All of them wondered to themselves who this girl was among other things. Ash however, felt a strange, inexplicable kinship with her while she walked right beside him, occasionally flashing him a warm smile. It wouldn't surprise him terribly if she heard of him, if she was some kind of fan-girl or something. She seemed to possess enormous power in her own right though, and his Omni Perception told him the 12 Pokémon she had with her were all fully trained to a level of infinity. Two of those Pokémon were actually powerful enough to hide their presence from Ash as the Pallet town trainer caught 3 shrunken master balls attached to the champion level belt strapped around her denim short-shorts.

What was intensely disconcerting however, was that he couldn't read this girl or her Pokémon team inside and out. He already had a guess as to why that was and made a mental note to ask Arceus for confirmation of his suspicions later on. Right now however, he was content just watching her out of the corner of his eye as they walked side by side. His brain was moving at the invariant speed as he studied her expression, enabling him to think an infinite number of thoughts in the same instant and experience an eternally prolonged time dilation. This afforded him eternities to think and gave his brain complete mental awareness of the Omega Omnisphere. His mind raced and his heart palpitated with excitement at the thought of possibly finding an intellectual equal and meeting his match, and after countless tiny eternities they finally reached the guest room. He could see however a deeply troubled expression rather poorly concealed on her face; wondering to himself what such a nice looking young woman could have gone through to warrant such an expression. He was troubled to find he couldn't glean more than the mere basic emotions lying in her eyes. Usually he could tell a person's entire life story just by reading their facial expressions and almost invisible muscle movements and what not; but she was unusually difficult to read, even for him.

His attention was dragged from studying the newcomer as they stepped through the door leading to their current destination, and the room inside had a welcoming feel; with a loveseat, couch, and two chairs sitting in a semicircle around a wooden coffee table. The window at the far wall gave a perfect Fletching's eye view of the city's Southern Boulevard, which went on for miles and miles in seemingly every direction; branching off into alleyways, other streets, and even the main road of the boulevard itself. The South Boulevard formed a gigantic loop around the outskirts of the city and connected to the Northern Boulevard at the top half of Lumiose. The skyscrapers, Pokémon center further down the street, and teeming masses of people and Pokémon all added to the grandeur of the sight that one saw upon gazing out of this room.

Ash took the loveseat, and was momentarily surprised when the girl joined him and put her feet up on the coffee table; her subtly concealed tense posture belayed by an outwardly relaxed veneer. It was clear her posture, her appearance, attire, and body language were all very physically appealing to all the males in the room; yet Ash found himself observing her equally as objectively as he was subjectively. He himself had difficulty reining in his primal urges when she sat so close by his side that their arms and sides were touching slightly; but thoughts of Serena and the promise he made her were sufficient enough to keep his endless libido in check. It also helped him to keep his cool when he thought about why she felt the need to mask her true feelings and hide behind a veil of calmness and serenity she wasn't truly feeling.

"Greetings to all of you, and thanks for coming once again Bonnie and Clemont. As I'm sure you all must know by now, I'm professor Sycamore; I'm a Pokémon researcher working here in Kalos. Before we get started with introductions, I feel like I must thank you young man for bringing Froakie back to us as quick as you did. I don't like to imagine what would have happened to him if you hadn't have reacted in time; but I can assure you that he will make a full recovery. It's so nice to meet you all," he greeted kindly as Ash took a moment to collect himself, relieved that Froakie was going to be alright. He knew he had more than enough power between him and his Pokémon to heal Froakie himself if need be but he wanted to leave this in more practiced, more qualified hands.

"Nice to meet you as well; I'm Ash Ketchum, and this is my partner Raichu," Ash quickly responded. Sycamore's eyes widened a fraction of a second upon hearing his name and seeing the strong looking Raichu perched on his shoulder who introduced itself with a quick "cha." The girl sitting beside them took it from there, her soft voice laced with a seductive undertone that sounded almost like a purr, seemingly lacking her former apprehensive underlying emotions. "I'm Alexandra Mei, but please just call me Lexie. It's nice to meet you all, and can I just say Ash that I'm a huge fan of yours. I didn't hear of you until just recently but when I heard you were in Lumiose from some people back at Centrico Plaza and the Pokémon center I just had to come see you. I've seen some of your battles online and I've got to say I'm thoroughly impressed. Your masterful strategies, the powerful godlike Pokémon you keep on your roster, and the fact that you've never actually lost a duel is an inspiration to all us champion level trainers everywhere. You are the prime example of what a champion level trainer can and should be, and not to mention there are a lot of girls out there in your fan club who support you going all the way to the world championship and who would kill to be your date just for the day. I also hear you have a rather profound talent for saving people and later on I was wondering if you might consider spending a day with me out on the town," she gushed somewhat excitedly, never losing the cheeky grin on her face as Ash blushed from the praise; rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as everybody gawked at him in obvious astonishment.

"I have a fan club?" he wondered simply in embarrassment, causing everybody to chuckle at his modesty. The girl called Lexie simply smirked at him, evidently enjoying the boy's easily flustered nature and wanting to wind him up even more. On the inside though she was immediately smitten; it was unnatural the vibes of pure kindness and compassion she was getting from him, there had to be some kind of error in her judgement, nobody was that good looking _and_ all around decent. "Of course, after everything you've accomplished did you honestly think it wouldn't start garnering a number of fans. After meeting you just now I can honestly say that even the hardcore members of your fan club... were not exaggerating. You have no idea how bad I've been wanting to meet you," she said, flattering him to no end as he felt himself go into a full body blush, his entire upper torso feeling the burn as he found himself unable to look away from her. She knew she was effectively winding him up in an effort to gauge his reactions, but she was pleasantly surprised by how embarrassed and flustered she was making him. Things were looking promising so far but she also needed to discern how powerful he was to and get a feel for his personality some more. Her face and her golden-amber eyes absolutely captivated and entranced Ash as he stared right back, and her full pink lips almost irresistibly tempted him to kiss her; drawing him in but he restrained himself yet again. If he hadn't had a good idea when he was going to see Serena again he most certainly would've been tempted to court her; but with his oldest and closest friend so close he knew he only had to stick it out a few more days at the most. His train of thoughts was derailed by Sycamore clearing his throat to get his attention, drawing him back into the conversation as he blushed distractedly and looked away from Lexie with a sheepish smile on his face as said girl giggled at his reaction. ' _Oh my Arceus he's so fucking cute I can't even handle it. No wonder so many girls are after him, I honestly can't even fathom why he's single_ ,' Amber mused inside her mind as Sycamore's voice rang out.

"Anyways, I'm interested in knowing how Froakie got to be in such a state, and would greatly appreciate if you four could tell me as much you could about the matter," Sycamore stated. Amber had to fight very to compose herself and not screw Ash's brains out right then and there on the loveseat, witnesses be damned. Her first face-to-face encounter with Ash caused a far more violently intense reaction than that holographic image of him earlier today. It hadn't taken very long for Amber to find a set of clothes she felt were sexy and provocative enough to capture his attention long enough to initiate the first phase of her plan; but she was surprised to learn she was growing increasingly frustrated with his astonishing level of control and her slipping composure in turn. This was not the plan at all, her control of the situation was slipping too fast; she needed his help but not to start desiring him, at least not this soon. It scared her how much his composure was affecting her, and a part of her wondered what it was that didn't appeal to him. She had the body, she had the looks, she even had the teasing, flirtatious personality that drove most men wild; but clearly Ash either had someone else in his life whose identity wasn't leaked in the Kalos News just yet or he was pining over somebody just as attractive to him as she was or more. Or maybe he was demisexual or something and couldn't form a sexual attraction towards anyone he wasn't powerfully bonded with. No matter the situation she needed to stay focused. If she was going to gauge Ash's capabilities and earn his trust enough to get help in dealing with her problem she was going to have to stay in control for now. She knew her grunts were waiting on her to distract him but that was the last thing on her mind. For some reason she felt compelled to make him hers as well as earn his support. She knew she was swooning over him hardcore and that was not a luxury she could afford right now; not when she still wasn't completely convinced of his ability to help her. Nevertheless something about him made her feel attracted to him as irresistibly as a Venomoth to the flame, like they were kindred spirits or something; but that was ridiculous wasn't it?

Ash and Raichu both looked guilt ridden upon hearing Sycamore's request, and decided to be perfect honest about the situation as Bonnie and Clemont stared at the pair of them with sympathy. "Truth is professor, that Froakie was injured in an attack fired by Raichu here; but it wasn't his fault. A trio of goons claiming to be from a newly resurrected Team Flare came by and demanded I give them Raichu. Naturally I refused so they sent out a Tyranitar and tried to sick it on us; forcing me and Raichu to send it into orbit where I then had it transported to professor Oak's lab in a clinically unconscious state. I changed his ownership over to myself in the process and liberated it from these three stooges," Ash started as Sycamore nodded. The professor silently urged him to continue as Bonnie decided to speak up; picking up where Ash left off as she described what happened next from her perspective.

"Ash and Raichu were amazing professor, you should have seen it; but just after Tyranitar disappeared was when really strange things started happening. The whole world went dark and cold, and an evil presence was hanging in the air all around us. I don't really know what it was, all I can remember is feeling so scared. I've never felt so afraid in my life," Bonnie shuddered, as Sycamore and Lexie both frowned at that statement, obviously coming to the same conclusion. "That wasn't an isolated incident you guys; I felt that same evil force as well," Lexie said in remembrance as Sycamore nodded in agreement. "I felt it to, everyone in the lab did. All the Pokémon were freaking out as well so I can only assume they sensed it to," Sycamore informed them. His statement confirmed Ash's suspicion that it was most likely Omninoir's omnipresent evil gripping all of totality and stirring up irrational feelings of terror and fear in every person and Pokémon across the world.

"Sounds to me like whatever this thing was it had the power to entice irrational feelings of fear in every person in this city, maybe even beyond the city as well. When it comes to negative emotions that is not a good thing, this thing could do a hell of a lot of damage with just its presence. But what concerns me more is that strange pressure that seemed to squeeze all of the world moments later," Lexie stated intelligently as Ash chuckled lightly. "Actually, no need to be so alarmed by that particular incident; I was behind that little bit of pressure. I actually could have squeezed the world a lot harder in my omnipresent telekinetic grasp if I wasn't in control of my emotions," he admitted as everyone turned their heads sharply in his direction. Their eyes were as wide as saucers and their jaws dropped comically, well everyone except Brock and Raichu anyways. Amber resisted the urge to whistle appreciatively, that was not something she was expecting at all.

"WHAT?!" they all shouted in exclamation, evidently both confused and horrified as Ash raised both his hands in a placating gesture. Amber suddenly found herself staring at the young man in an entirely different light; she knew his Pokémon were basically gods but had no idea he could achieve such inhuman feats without the aid of his strongest legendary partners, that alone was almost enough to convince her that he might be able to help. "Calm down you guys, I wasn't going to crush you or anyone else for that matter," he said reassuringly as Clemont cleared his throat. "Well, obviously we know _that._ what I wanted to know is how you did something like that Ash? I'm guessing that was when you started giving off that strange black aura," he sussed out, and Ash nodded.

"Yeah, sorry about that you guys, but after realizing that one of my best friends was being made to attack me and all of you; I almost lost control of my abilities, I wasn't angry at Raichu, he was under Team Flare's duress. But I was definitely angry at those that sought to control him," Ash admitted guiltily as he an Raichu both seemed immersed in some level of guilt and feeling partially responsible for that startling turn of events. Lexie was the first to recover, unable to believe what she was hearing and knowing this plan of hers couldn't have turned out better even if she had written the script. Ash was pretty much giving her the invitation to plead her case right about now, she knew now that if she could explain properly how she was under the duress of Team Flare like Raichu had been then she'd no doubt have his support. Unfortunately the question still remained whether or not his support would make any difference, but she would worry about that later and instead focus on asking the question she knew must be on everybody's minds. "So what guns have you got in your arsenal then Ashy-boy," she grinned; managing to somehow find humor from the whole situation as Brock answered instead of Ash.

"Well as far as I know; Ash has unlimited amounts of aura, Mana, and Chi not to mention equally limitless psychic and telekinetic powers of any and all kinds. I've seen him dowse for hidden objects, act as a medium for ghost type Pokémon, speak to Pokémon of all kinds, and telekinetically hurl mountains at a rampaging Arceus we met in Michina town. I've also seen him teleport an entire town out of harm's way when Dialga and Palkia were going full on bumper cars back in Alamos town, and all kinds of other crazy stuff I can't even begin to imagine," he explained as Lexie actually whistled appreciatively this time.

"Wow, color me impressed; so when you read people's minds can you like... read every mind on the planet all at once or each mind by itself?" she asked, grasping the concept of Ash's limitless scope of abilities almost immediately as Ash blushed at her amazingly easy going and forward attitude. She knew those were impressive abilities and all but she still wasn't entirely convinced and knew she had to continue picking his brain for information on what exactly he could do. Ash was blown away by how well everyone was taking this news. "Um... both actually," he admitted, as Bonnie and Clemont both gazed apprehensively at him.

"Don't worry guys, I don't use it to invade people's privacy ever; rest assured your secrets and memories are safe. I only really use it to maintain a telepathic connection between my Pokémon and myself for ease of communication. I do occasionally use it for interrogation purposes when catching criminals who have gotten on the Pokémon G-Men's radar in a bad way. And as you guys have seen, I also use it to defend both myself and protect my friends from harm; so yeah, I understand that with great power comes great responsibility," Ash reassured them as Lexie grinned back at him. She had a feeling he was one of those do-gooder hero types with a moral compass the size of a planet, and she didn't hesitate to speak these thoughts aloud.

"Well I figured that would be the case, you seem like a really decent guy Ash; even more ravishing in person to I might add," she said with a saucy wink, mildly disappointed when he didn't even react to her very obvious flirtations. She was practically throwing herself at him and for what; she knew she'd probably have to get him alone at some point if she was going to proceed with her plan but just didn't know what to do with all the intense feelings Ash was distilling inside her. She wanted to fuck him so God damn bad but needed to keep her cool just long enough to ensure she could trust him with her safety and quite possibly her life. She knew she was taking a huge risk putting herself out there like that for a guy she barely knew but she was effectively entrusting her life to another person; she'd long since learned she had no real control over her life or her destiny and needed to somehow manually switch the controls over to someone else without Lysandre knowing. She may have ended up owing her life to someone else but something told her the safest hands to put her life in were attached to the person sitting right next to her. She got the feeling that her life force and her heart would be pretty much perfectly safe with him and felt her face heating up at the thought. Ash meanwhile, could easily tell she was flirting with him; but his heart had been absolutely impossible to sway for the past eight years out of loyalty to Serena and he wasn't going to start dishonoring the memory of his love for her now. Lexie did seem like a playful flirt and a lot of fun, but he wasn't keen on the idea of abandoning the unbreakable bond that had withstood the test of time, the love he had harbored for Serena all these long years.

Clemont took a moment to compose himself as he and Bonnie added their piece, "I guess that would explain how you moved fast enough to keep up with Raichu, and not just once but twice," he reasoned out as Ash quickly nodded, alternating between listening to all of them and entertaining his myriad of infinite thoughts and perceptions. "Or how you shot those webs out of your wrists to catch the mind control collars they shot at you and Raichu," she added, her statement alarming Lexie for the first time since Ash met her. "You mean to tell me that Ash and Raichu were being attacked by flying mind control collars; how in the world did those Team Flare grunts manage to do something like that?!" she questioned emphatically, evidently putting two and two together as she and Sycamore both realized the same thing at the same time. Amber was genuinely shocked by this revelation, how in the world had her grunts managed to sneak that one right under her nose?! The implications behind their recent atrocities were frightening to contemplate, but even worse was how her lack of involvement on the scene had indirectly resulted in all of this taking place. She swore to herself then and there that she'd make Lysandre pay dearly if she ever got out of this mess; but knew she needed to play this out very carefully.

"So they had technology that allowed them to control even the infinitely strong minds of level infinity Pokémon. I didn't think such science was humanly feasible, but it would explain why such a gentle looking creature as your Raichu was so eager to attack you in that situation. It must have been under duress," Sycamore pointed out the obvious, as Ash and the others nodded in confirmation. The Pallet town trainer explained further. "It's not humanly feasible as far as I'm aware of professor. I was the field tester for many of Devon Corporation's many prototypes back during my journey in Hoenn; so I know what is currently within the realms of science and inventing. Subjecting level infinity Pokémon to anything they don't wish to do is beyond the current abilities of even Devon Corp's infinity energy and its many technological applications," he explained, as Clemont's eyes shone like a kid in a candy store. Amber was impressed by his credentials so far but they had gotten off the topic concerning his abilities on the battle field. She reminded herself to just be patient, the saying that all good things came to those who wait echoing through her mind; but the longer she stuck around the greater the risk of Lysandre figuring out her latest attempt to get out from under him.

"I've always wanted to visit Devon Corporation as a kid and I still do. As an aspiring inventor it is on my own personal eight wonders of the world," he sighed dreamily as Ash chuckled. "Honestly man, you'd love it, that place is candy land for people like you. I said current abilities in my previous statement because Devon Corp's infinity energy has pretty much infinite applications just as its name suggests. It's the reason Devon Corp has evolved into the multinational giant it is today, and infinity energy comes from the same kind of technology that was used build the ultimate weapon 3000 years ago in Kalos. But instead of using just average Pokémon to power it and exhausting their finite life force, Infinity Energy uses the infinite life force and energy of fully trained Pokémon like my own to power all of their technology to absolute, inexhaustible levels. I actually have a few of my fully trained Pokémon working there to help them out, and in return I get all of their latest stuff free of charge. It's a mutually beneficial partnership and I can assure you you'd love working there man. If you like I could even get you an application to apply for a job there. They're always looking for new inventive minds to hire so I've no doubt you could in there at some point and earn some serious money," Ash promised him as Clemont felt like he could die of sheer happiness right now. He thanked Ash profusely as Bonnie shook her head at his childlike enthusiasm and everyone else chuckled.

"Anyways, you were telling us how your Raichu got snagged with a mind control collar by those Team Flare grunts. That forced Raichu to attack all of you which is what lead to Froakie getting hurt. Is that what happened, because if it is it's not anyone's fault Ash, and besides Froakie is getting the best care possible so you need not blame yourselves anymore," Sycamore reassured them as both trainer and Pokémon felt a little bit better. They knew that if Sycamore didn't hold them personally responsible and if Froakie made it through this they could sleep better at night.

Lexie smiled at the pair of them reassuringly as Brock took a moment to voice some questions of his own. "Now Ash, before we carry on there is one question I'd like to ask you as well, if you don't mind," he politely requested, and Ash smiled and nodded; indicating Brock with his outstretched hand and urging him to continue. "Okay, so how did you manage to make those sticky webs shoot out of your wrists? That's been driving me nuts ever since I saw you do it; because I didn't realize using Pokémon moves was one of your powers," he wondered with mounting excitement, forcing Ash to stifle a chuckle as he considered what to say in response. Raichu snickered and Lexie gazed at the pair of them with obvious interest as he thought up a half truth and he thought it up quick.

"It's one of the more advanced applications of my Mana manipulation, which allows me to create a field of mystical energy all around me that enables me to emulate pretty much any power and mimic them with infinitely greater power. That's why those sticky webs had such absolute tensile strength and were stickier than any adhesive known to man. The attacks I can use are boundaryless in every sense and aspect; maximally augmented in every way they can be," Ash explained with excruciating simplicity; not surprised when everyone but Clemont and Lexie stared at him in utter befuddlement. Clearly none of the others knew what in the fuck he was talking about. "That's... AWESOME! So are there ANY limits to the abilities you have, and if there aren't, can you like, become a Pokémon or something? Are you able to completely reprogram your DNA on a boundless level; can you use ANY Pokémon move at those levels such as the signature moves of legendary Pokémon, or is it limited to more generic moves like sticky web?" Clemont said excitedly, firing off question after question as Sycamore stared at the young man sitting across from him in amazement. The Kalos Prof pondered what else this remarkable being before him could do and knew that the scientific input he could get from studying abilities like this would be immeasurable. Amber's eyebrow quirked at this revelation; Ash's abilities were the gift that kept on giving it seemed but he'd have to be at least omnipotent or in possession of legendary Pokémon of such power in order to help her out. She knew about the omnipotence paradox thanks to her discussions with her Pokémon about the plans they'd attempted in the past; but Lysandre's binding mechanism or whatever seemed completely flawless in its design and everything they tried in the past backfired on them. She wasn't sure if she could invoke the paradox on that binding mechanism if it was an inanimate object and knew she would require an honest second opinion before she made any hasty attempts to sever the strings that bound her to her master. She needed outside help that was omnipotent like her Pokémon were and like Lysandre's were unfortunately. She reckoned he'd used his Primal Yveltal to tie her very life force to him indirectly via the use of some random object aboard his flying vessel, as well as her own Pokémon; so unless Ash had the power to sever that bond without killing her and her Pokémon then she wasn't going to completely relax.

Ash's brain accelerated infinitum once more as he processed the Lumiose Gym Leader's stream of questions; deciding to answer all of them at once. "No, no limits to any abilities that I do have; but don't fool yourself into thinking I can do absolutely anything Clemont. I'm powerful but not omnipotent," Ash craftily lied as Amber very nearly believed him, her last hope hinging on whether or not her strong gut feelings were right about him. She could somehow tell he wasn't being 100 percent truthful with his answer; especially since he had over half a dozen Master Balls attached to his Pokeball holsters on his belt. She realized he may have been lying in a futile attempt to downplay the full scope of his abilities; perhaps out of fear of these people around him seeing and revering him as some sort of God. Ha, if only he knew how relieved she would be to know of this supposed godhood; he might have a different opinion about her at least even if the rest of the population believed his absolute power would render him an unstoppable threat. He paused a moment to gather himself before continuing as Lexie stared at him in clear amusement but with a hint a awe and amazement underlying the cheeky, impish grin. She decided she would play along for now, and maybe drop a hint about the omnipotence paradox while she was at it.

"Makes sense actually, if too many beings were running around with full blown omnipotence like Arceus or Dialga and Palkia in their Primal Forms; it wouldn't really be omnipotence anymore since by definition there can be only one true wielder of it, it'd be paradoxical to the point of absurdity. I mean, the omnipotence paradox is a very serious problem and from what I understand it can even invalidate the supremacy of beings who would otherwise be capable of absolutely anything," Lexie reasoned out logically, and Ash nodded in accord while wondering to himself why she was glancing at him with such a significant and imploring expression on her face. He could tell she was trying to tell him something important but just couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe it had to do with the two Pokémon on her roster he couldn't get a reading on. He was equally powerless to get a reading on her as well, she gave off absolutely nothing he could detect and was seemingly absent in every sense of the word; omni-locked outside the whole of reality. He could sense immediately that forcing his way inside her mind would inevitably trigger the aforementioned paradox unless she let him in of her own free will. Maybe she didn't understand everything about the concept of omnipotence and if she truly needed his help with something he'd need to reassure her that she could trust him with whatever it was she keeping a secret. As he sat there contemplating her enigmatic presence he was also thoroughly impressed by her formidable wit and intellect, which likely rivaled his own; but he hated not knowing for sure and he hated not being able to get a feel for her emotions. He knew he'd be effectively asking her to let him invade her privacy but whatever was troubling her simply was not something he could work out on his own. Smart as he was, being unable to read her mind made it difficult for him to read her; hell she was nearly impossible to read in any way. His suspicions about her true nature were already pretty much confirmed yet he forced it to the back of his mind for now. He wanted to focus on anything but the prophecy of the Chosen Three; a blessed trinity chosen as Arceus's selected champions to battle against Omninoir 1 Million on his behalf. A battle between the opposing supreme beings could result in the paradox killing them all off which was why Ash had created limitations to his powers in the first place among other reasons.

"Exactly right Lexie, man I'm surprised you already know about all that; I gave an interview about Dialga and Palkia's primal forms after Cynthia told the entire Sinnoh Region that I had captured them. She made it abundantly clear that the championship of the Sinnoh League was as good as mine if I decided to go all the way in the League; but like Hoenn before I decided I would wait. I guess I just wanted a reason to backtrack and take a stroll down memory lane so to speak. My point is, you've impressed me more than once today," Ash admitted finally as she had the courtesy to blush shyly at his praise. Amber was already starting to feel more hopeful about this situation but she knew she still needed to be extremely careful. Despite his absolute, unshakable devotion to Serena he wanted to get to know this girl better; if nothing more than to be her friend, he just felt drawn to her and his suspicions from earlier kept cropping up as he realized why he was pulling towards her.

"Anyways Clemont; I am not capable of possessing the omniverse busting powers like some of the more godlike legendary Pokémon are. I can reprogram my DNA on a near limitless level and become any Pokémon and mimic any Pokémon move on a boundless level; but those are perhaps the most advanced applications of my powers that I know about. I'm also not sure if I can transform into any of the legendary Pokémon capable of becoming absolutely invincible when fully trained like Arceus, Mew, Dialga and Palkia in their primal forms, and Giratina in its mega form," Ash explained as both siblings and Sycamore's jaws hit the floor. Amber knew for a fact that he was lying now, and knew she had to get him alone in order to minimize the risk of her intentions leaking out to Lysandre. The more people who knew her situation the greater the risk to herself and anybody who might have helped her. She was blown away by how much knowledge Ash seemed to possess about the Legendary Pokémon and decided to capitalize on that knowledge and see how far it went.

"You've seen all these Pokémon in action haven't you?" Lexie inquired as Ash nodded with only the slightest of self-satisfied smirks. She was feeling more attracted to him by the second and was going to need some form of release very soon; not only was he a tough shell to crack he was also impossibly sexy and powerful, two of the most attractive traits for her when dealing with both sexes. Aside from that though she needed to keep her priorities straight for the time being, but that was getting increasingly harder as the truth of Ash's abilities and personality hit home for her. He represented all that was good and hopeful in the world to her right now and she clung to that as though he were her lifeline.

She loved and hated the fact he had such a profound effect on her, loved it because he was genuinely a nice guy and she wanted to screw his fucking brains out. She hated it because she felt like she was only using him to get out of Lysandre's control, and couldn't help but feel guilty about it. The two of them together would be able to do so much for the world and for each other she reckoned; but even someone such as Ash had to have his fair share of vulnerabilities. It was just like he said, them being on different and apparently opposing sides could split the world in two, and she would do almost anything to bridge that gap somehow. She'd be damned if she condemned him to the same fate as her; she'd much rather join his side since that was where her heart belonged anyways. She'd never been cut out for this Team Flare villainy under the guise of reformed terrorists trying to remake the world. Ash would find her to be a very helpful... _friend_ , and definitely more than just a friend if he did all this for her. If he agreed to assist her she knew it would take everything she had not to take him outside and fuck him in the first empty alleyway or private place she could find; or right here in the guest room without any care for the other company present.

She had engaged in casual sex with powerful trainers while her fellow Team Flare members did what they needed to do without fear of interference many times before, and she was disgusted with Lysandre for forcing her to use her body in such a manner; but this time at least the attraction was mutual. Amber was having an extremely difficult time maintaining her composure and restraining herself from riding Ash and giving him the best sexual experience of his entire life. How in this fucked up world had someone not landed him yet, if she was his girlfriend she'd never let him out of her damn sight and would never trust another woman to be alone with him. And she couldn't really see any other girl with half a brain not doing the same; so she seriously doubted that Ash wasn't single right now. She was determined to not only convince him of her innocence in these matters concerning Team Flare, but also to make him hers if he ended up believing in her. She began to imagine him screaming her name in rapture as she sucked him off in some secluded alleyway in the city, and wished she could just whisk him the hell away into the furthest reaches of the city and come out with everything she'd been keeping bottled up.

The irony was Ash didn't even seem to realize just how irresistible he truly was; which only seemed to make him more so in her opinion due to his modesty, though she surmised that not every girl would feel that way. Knowing she had to stay in the game just a little bit longer, her train of thought was interrupted by Sycamore recovering from his shock and deciding to breach the subject of his topic of research. Now that he knew how and why Froakie had gotten hurt; he decided to let bygones be bygones since none of them were truly at fault and Froakie was no doubt making a full recovery. If he was taking a turn for the worst Sophie would have informed him of it immediately; but so far whatever she was doing must have been working because he hadn't heard a peep from her since she took the Kalos frog-like Pokémon to the lab's treatment room.

"Anyways, I'd like to take this opportunity and thank you all again for bringing Froakie back to us. Truth is, that particular Froakie is a little bit different, we've gotten complaints from trainers saying he won't do a thing they say. Some of them have even called to say they were returning Froakie. There were times where Froakie has left his trainer straight up to; so he's been living at our lab as one of its permanent residents. He has much more experience than your average Kalos starter due to being trained by several trainers; so he can be a little bit stubborn and isn't really fond of trainers," Sycamore explained as everybody's emotions changed to sympathy upon hearing this. Ash had picked up on the feelings of compassion almost right away as he realized the little blue frog had a rough go at it.

"It sounds like Froakie's had a tough life," Bonnie said, stating the obvious as Clemont nodded in accord. All of them were thinking the same thing as Brock piped up. "It sounds like a classic case of not thinking any of its trainers aren't good enough for him. Some Pokémon are more high maintenance than others, and have a difficult personality that can be attributed to a number of things. It could have been an abusive trainer in the past, or he simply wasn't feeling like any of his trainers were giving him what he wanted. Pokémon are as smart as people if not smarter; so they are more than capable of setting goals for themselves or adopting a certain lifestyle that is not so easily swayed. It is entirely possible that whatever Froakie is after is not something just any trainer can give to him. That's probably why he protected Ash; because in my honest opinion I don't think there's a trainer in the entire world who can beat him aside from his father perhaps, and maybe Benjamin Oak. But aside from that, I don't know what else Froakie could possibly want with absolute certainty," Brock informed them. His experience as a breeder and all the knowledge he gained from traveling with Ash payed off in this situation as everybody agreed with him. ' _Not a trainer in the entire world who can beat him huh, I'll be the judge of that_ ,' Amber promptly and internally stated with a light huff. She couldn't get her hopes up since that statement was quite possibly the ramblings of a loyal and rather biased friend. In order to discern if Ash was powerful enough to truly protect her she needed an unbiased, unprejudiced indicator of just how powerful he was; otherwise her entire plan would fall apart and she'd be trapped with Lysandre for the rest of her life.

Sycamore decided to continue there from where he left off, "yes, Froakie has had a rather difficult life. I can't understand why he behaves the way he does and sometimes wish I had a translator to help us communicate with him. Oh just imagine the things we could learn if one could understand Pokespeech," Sycamore stated sadly. Ash chose that moment as everyone processed Sycamore's statement to say something once more out of the blue. "Um, you guys realize I can understand Pokespeech right? In fact, I've acted as a mediator between humans and Pokémon numerous times in the past," he pointed out as everyone's mouths formed an 'o' as though only just remembering that he had all these various super powers. At this point Amber was hardly surprised anymore, and repressed the urge to giggle like the fangirl she was pretending to be as Sycamore's exclamation drowned out the voice inside her head.

"Great Scott, my dear boy do you have any idea how many researchers would kill to be in your position right now. Do you think you could help me with my line of work? I don't actually have a lot of people available to study mega evolution aside from Alain, who I haven't heard from in some time. I could really use a second person on the job if you're interested," Sycamore requested right out of the blue, and if Ash hadn't have seen it coming he might have been shocked by the abruptness of that request.

"Yeah sure, I think I can be more than simply helpful with your research," Ash said, rolling up the sleeve of his unzipped Pokémon ranger jacket to a reveal his concealed mega bracelet for everyone to see. "As you can see, I possess the power to mega evolve my Pokémon. I actually have at least a dozen or so Pokémon on my current team that can undergo mega evolution; including my fully trained Pidgeot, Charizard, Garchomp, and my second starter Alakazam to name a few," Ash pointed out with a fond smile, having grown totally accustomed to the feeling of the mega bracelet on his wrist as Sycamore and the others stared at it in fascination. The only exception to his crowd of fascinated onlookers was Amber as she held up her own right arm; another one of her cheeky grins etched on her face. "Join the club Ashy-boy; I also possess a mega ring and with it the power to mega evolve certain Pokémon of mine including my fully trained Gengar and Ampharos," she smirked, her grin widening as all eyes fell on her now. Ash whistled appreciatively as he saw the mega bracelet around her right wrist for the first time; having been a little bit distracted by certain... _other parts_ of her body to pay much attention to her arms. He may not have done anything about it thanks to the thought of Serena but there was no denying Lexie was an absolutely gorgeous woman. Amber meanwhile, knew she wouldn't feel completely safe with telling Ash anything unless he could reveal something about himself that truly set him apart from all other trainers in this world; and so far he wasn't surpassing any of her hopeful expectations but she knew she needed to be patient. Frankly Ash was her last and only hope at this point and she'd been waiting years to break free from Lysandre, so what was a few more hours of patience to her? Nothing, she just needed to keep determining Ash's full range of abilities in the same subtle manner she had been all along.

"Amazing, this is absolutely wonderful; is there anything I can do to persuade you two to help me out in my research?" Sycamore kindly asked, willing to get down on his knees and beg if that's what it took. He loved the idea of mega evolution and the potential it held, but with so few mega evolution users to work with his list of possible options for his particular field of knowledge was extremely limited, leaving him scarcely devoid of any users whom were in contact with him.

"You won't need to do any convincing on my part professor. I'd be happy to help your research; my mega ring takes a signal of the energy levels my Pokémon are giving off and the changes in moves, abilities, and powers they undergo upon evolving to their mega forms. It then beams this information directly to the Pokémon research lab of professor Oak. If you like I could ask him to send you his findings and I could personally send you a copy of all my notes of the various mega Pokémon and their abilities, moves, and the like upon undergoing this evolutionary process. I've taken copious long notes in some journals inside my backpack; just give me a second and I can fish them out for you. Maybe I could use some of my powers to create an exact duplicate of them so long as you guys don't freak out too much," Ash promised him as Sycamore nodded eagerly like a kid who had just gotten a boatload of Halloween candy, practically bouncing off the walls in his excitement.

"Ash, I think you're gonna give the poor man an aneurysm at this point," Lexie giggled cutely, poking him in the ribs with a teasing smile on her face as he chuckled, feeling surprisingly at ease with her sitting beside him and astounded by how fast he was hitting it off with her. "You know, this is gonna sound really strange since we just met; but I feel like we've known each other for a very long time," Ash whispered, not wanting the others to overhear them as Lexie blushed across her whole body against her will. She felt the same way as Ash but quickly attributed her feelings of familiarity to desperation.

Quickly regaining her composure and cooling off somewhat, Amber decided to retaliate with a provocative comment in an effort to try and get him excited. "Strange, I was just thinking the same thing; sounds to me like a match made in heaven. You aren't using telepathy are you Ash?" she retorted teasingly, watching as her new friend barely reacted, causing her to grow frustrated on the inside as she wondered what it would take to break past his rock hard resolve. She knew she was potentially playing with fire here, but if she could count on him and fuck him at the same time she'd be killing two Pidgey's with one stone.

"Believe me, if I was I don't think it would work on you; trust me I've already tried. For some reason I can't get a reading on you at all; either psychically or via Aura, Mana, or Chi, it's kind of disconcerting," Ash admitted. "Yeah, that really _is_ weird," she agreed, genuinely surprised in spite of herself. She wondered what that could mean and could sense somehow that Ash knew more about it than she did. She was about to ask him for further details, but was prevented from doing so as Brock cleared his throat, getting their attention. "If you two are done flirting, I think Sycamore would like to have a few more words with you," he chortled with a suggestive grin. Ash sent him a death glare warning him not to make such comments and Lexie smiled sweetly at him. She blew Brock a playful raspberry that caused the Pewter city resident to faint right on the spot.

"Um, is he okay Ash?" Bonnie asked, and Ash chuckled at the question. "Honestly Bonnie, I'm not sure if that old pervert has _ever_ been okay; more likely he's slightly touched in the head. And coming from me that's saying something, but I think in this situation he at least enjoyed Lexie teasing him; maybe a little too much," Ash chuckled, sweat dropping at Brock's antics as Raichu snickered and Lexie burst out laughing at his remark. Ash's intelligent sense of humor appealed to her more than it probably did some of the other people in the room. Bonnie and Clemont simply smiled at them both as Ash wondered what was going through his new acquaintance's head.

Sycamore took a moment to let them recover before saying his thanks to Ash and waiting for him to draw his copious notes from his backpack. The Pallet town trainer went into his infinitely spacious pocket dimension that took the form of a backpack and summoning all his journals with information to his hand with just his own sheer force of will. He took them out slowly and showed them to everyone in the room; totaling 20 or so in all and each one containing hundreds of pages of information. "This is just the information I've recorded on the known mega evolutions, whether for legendary Pokémon or otherwise; so yeah just give me a second," Ash said, concentrating his absolute will on the twenty notebooks held aloft in his right hand and willing an exact duplicate of all of them to appear in his outstretched left hand. His absolute strength and flawless coordination allowed him to balance all the notebooks in one hand as he felt the tiniest of weights press upon his left hand as well. He opened his eyes to see two identical piles of his enormous pile of notebooks; one pile in each hand. His ungodly physical strength made the weight of the copious notes seem almost completely nonexistent and allowed him to lift anything no matter its weight; even an object of equally infinite mass.

"That's amazing, is there a limit to how much stuff you can create, and can create anything from out of nothing?" Clemont inquired curiously as Ash shook his head no. He'd already come up with another lie to hide the full scope of his abilities, at least until he was ready to tell his friends the full truth about his complete range of abilities. "I can create infinite amounts of anything that already exists; provisions, food, and any other object or thing that can and does exist. I can even clone Pokémon an unlimited number of times; but I can't create stuff from out of nothing. I can only increase the amount of what's already there. The laws of physics dictate that, energy and matter cannot be created, merely changed from one form to another. Also, zero can't become infinity; I have to have a certain amount of something that already exists in order to duplicate it without end," Ash stated. "I know, I just figured Pokémon like Arceus were the exception to that rule. I was curious to what your actual limits were, and now I know so thank you," Clemont said appreciative as Ash handed Sycamore the copy of all his notes; knowing it would days for him to go through it all as the young professor took them from him with hands shaking with excitement. Amber scoffed on the inside, knowing that Ash was very effectively playing the rest of them and knowing she was going to have to get him alone in order to help him open up to her. There simply wasn't a way to get him to reveal his true self in front of all these people; plus with the whole situation escalating she knew she had to act swiftly.

"Thanks Clemont, you know you guys are taking this surprisingly well," Ash stated; having to admit he was a little surprised by their willingness to just accept the fact that he had all of these miraculous abilities and wondering how far he could stretch things before they couldn't handle it anymore. He decided to not push his luck, at least not yet. "Of course we are, Ash you're amazing; you're like some kind of superhero," Bonnie cooed excitedly, as Ash couldn't stop blushing for some reason and Lexie giggled at Bonnie's childlike wonder and excitement.

"She's right Ash, you've probably saved the world at least a dozen times over and yet your abilities have not made you arrogant. You truly are a remarkable man and any girl would be lucky beyond measure to have you," Lexie grinned up at him, surprised to learn she was being perfectly honest with her statement and thinking to herself how lucky _she_ would be to have him as well. Her comment made Ash smile despite knowing she was essentially buttering him up. "Lexie I..." he stammered, but she overshot him before he could even begin. "No I'm serious Ash, if more people were like you the world would be a much better place, and I think everyone here agrees am I right?" Lexie interrupted firmly, looking around her at everyone at large. To Ash's pleasure not a single person disagreed with her proclamation. Looking around him Ash could see Brock giving him an approving smile and Sycamore reading through the first of many notebooks Ash had cloned for him. His original copies of his research were back in his backpack now as the door to the guest room opened and Sophie walked in with some tea and some tea cookies and wafers. Everyone waited on baited breath for news on Froakie as she flashed them all a warm smile.

"Froakie is going to be just fine, he's lucky you brought him in as quick you did young man. If you like you can all go see him when we're done here," Sophie reassured them, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as Ash and the others accepted their cup of tea and took a single tea cracker and wafer each. Nobody wanted to get too carried away when they still had to have lunch though for Ash this was more to keep up the appearance that he was still human with a human's level of appetite and not some deity who could consume infinite caloric energy in a single sitting.

They spent the rest of their tea break talking about nothing in particular; Ash and Amber's alias Lexie sat closely together as Amber's attraction towards him grew painfully intense. This was getting out of hand and she knew she was going to need to play with herself very quickly or somehow break Ash's resolve. She knew she was playing a very dangerous game here, one with unparalleled risk; but she couldn't help but have fun doing it. With Ash around she felt safe, even if it was fleeting he made her feel like everything was going to turn out okay in the end. Her obvious attraction to him wasn't unnoticed by anyone else in the room aside from the Professor; who was completely engrossed in Ash's journals and recorded information on all mega evolved Pokémon along with the illustrations he drew of each Pokémon in their mega evolved form.

"Can we go see Froakie now... Pleeeeeease," Bonnie pleaded; giving everyone her infamous puppy dog eyes and adding a quiver to her lip for good measure as Clemont and the others looked to Sycamore for confirmation. The researcher nodded without even looking up from his books and waved them off. Knowing that Sycamore was busy, Sophie took the initiative and lead Ash and co away from the guest room and to the Pokémon treatment center room further down the hall. The greenhouse was teeming with life and energy as Pokémon of various species played around outside with one of Sycamore's assistants watching over them.

Sophie stopped by a door to the immediate left of the stairs leading up the third door and told them to be quiet with a finger to her lips as she quietly opened the door and ushered them inside. Ash and Lexie brought up the rear and talked briefly about what happened. Ash filled her in on all the little details they'd left out of their discussion with professor Sycamore. Their budding friendship was not lost on Sophie as she put her fingers to her lips again; reinforcing the notion that Froakie needed quiet in order to properly rest as Ash and Lexie nodded and fell silent before filing through the open doorway.

The interior of the room was much like any normal Pokémon center; with a healing machine hooked up to a miniaturized, Froakie sized hospital bed and a glass dome sealing him off from the rest of the world. A few holes on the top of it allowed just enough air in for him to breathe comfortably as Ash stared at the wires hooked up to his body that were siphoning all the excess static electricity from Raichu's attack from his body and using it to further empower the healing machines. Froakie's eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady; evidently looking as though he were only asleep even as he grimaced in pain every few seconds.

"We have him on heavy anesthesia to take the edge off of its pain until all the electrical energy he absorbed is completely drained. I have to admit I am surprised Froakie isn't dead. The amount of electricity he's taken in, both in his body and in his cocoon of frubbles would have been more than enough to stop a grown man's heart; the hearts of several men at once actually" Sophie informed as Ash smiled nervously. He put his hand on the glass as Raichu looked down in obvious guilt; having not managed to shake it off as he sat on Ash's shoulder, riddled with immense shame.

Lexie could see the anguish and the guilt on both Ash and his starter Pokémon's faces. As the unwilling admin of Team Flare who had inadvertently caused this; she felt crushing penitence weighing down on her as she put a reassuring hand on Ash's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. She was briefly astounded by how impossibly solid his muscles were. Feeling more daring; she tried to apply more and more pressure but still did not faze him in the slightest as he turned around, caught her eye, and smirked. No doubt this was a teasing gesture. She was reassured somewhat that he was going to be okay, and she forced down a cute blush as she continued to try and massage what had to have been the most rock solid muscles she had ever worked with; aside from the muscles of any level infinity Pokémon that is. She found herself momentarily wondering if Ash's muscle strength was just as immense, given his abilities.

She couldn't believe her own grunts would disobey her orders to this extent; to put a level infinity Pokémon with the potential power to detonate the planet under that much duress and almost kill this poor Froakie, it was unforgivable. It was far more than she could stand. She wanted to reassure Ash as well as herself that she wasn't the monster the rest of Team Flare tended to be; but how much of it would he even believe? Would he inevitably turn his anger on her when he found out _she_ herself had been the Admin who inadvertently caused this; would he ever trust her again? She would have joined him and his company without a second's hesitation if she thought she could get away with it; but with the life debt in place Lysandre was using the strings that bound her to him to keep her under his thrall. The bitter truth was she did in fact owe him her life; but she hated that he kept dangling it over her head. She'd given him everything, she'd committed more than her fair share of atrocious and disgusting acts using her body and every other means at her disposal; all on his behalf. So whatever debts he thought she still owed him, she knew they were even; in fact if anything he owed her a thing or two. Unfortunately, so long as he kept her trapped in that binding mechanism she was going to need help.

It was a damn good thing her so called grunts weren't anywhere near here right now or Ash might not have had to have called officer Jenny over to deal with them; because she was pretty pissed and angry herself and would not hesitate to have her Primal Yveltal absolutely destory their teams and maybe even bite off their heads. She quickly shook herself out of her dark thoughts; knowing that wasn't the way to go about earning Ash's trust at all and thinking herself better than that anyways. She detested the fact that Team Flare had been reverting back to their devilish, omnicidal ways and had been for some time now; but she had to believe that she could get herself out when the going got tough. Surely her destiny wasn't to be forced into eternal subservience towards that monster.

Lysandre's plans to use the original Yveltal and Xerenas's primal powers to wipe the slate clean and remake the entire world had been... nothing short of omnicidal; and Amber wasn't naive enough to believe he was redeemable after all the evil he had done! For years on end he'd been feeding her the line that Fredrick Ketchum saved his life and give him a second chance to get things right; ironically was that Red was Ash's own father and the current Pokémon League Champion of the world. Of course, when she questioned why nobody knew about this Lysandre told her it was because Red had neglected to tell anyone; but he claimed he knew the real truth and promised to spend every day of his life repaying Red for his kindness towards his own enemy and helping the world for real this time. What an amazing lie that was; Lysandre hadn't changed in the slightest he had just gotten better at hiding his dark motives.

She knew he wasn't speaking the truth, and after everything that happened she knew he wasn't as redeemable as she initially thought. His true nature was belied by a facade of false kindness and the seeking of redemption.

"Froakie is gonna be okay Ash, I know it," she said softly, trying to comfort him and convey to him in some small way that not everyone on Team Flare was a heartless wretch. "I know, Froakie is an awesome Pokémon. I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to give him up. He sounds like a real catch to me, sorry bad pun. Plus protean Froakie's aren't exactly common, and neither are hexa perfect ones; but this one is both. That gives me the distinct impression that we were somehow destined to meet. I mean, every Pokémon I have ever caught has somehow been hexa perfect throughout the entirety of my journey," Ash told her as Amber stared at him in mild shock and Sophie spun around sharply upon hearing this.

"You for real Ash," Clemont inquired, having figured that he already had Ash's abilities pretty well figured out but this one took him by surprise. Brock answered him instead of Ash however, smiling proudly at Ash as he did so, "yeah it's true you guys. I've known Ash since just a few weeks after he started his journey and he's been catching competitively perfect Pokémon since day one. He had a Dex Nav plus compliments of his father at the start of his journey but he didn't even really need it. I mean literally every Pokémon he managed to catch was a perfect example of their species; it's like he was born with all the luck on earth or something. Either that or he had a Rapidash shoe up his ass, I'm not really sure," Brock informed them with a teasing smirk as Ash grinned and Lexie smiled at him from behind while still attempting to find some sort of soft spot in his body's various rock hard muscles. Ash didn't even notice the fact that she was massaging him or maybe he wasn't even feeling it; she couldn't be sure.

"And you continue to impress me Ash, honestly Froakie would be very lucky... to have a trainer such as yourself who could bring out his infinite latent potential," Amber whispered, her lips mere inches from his left ear and causing him to feel momentary discomfort as his blood boiled with arousal against his will and he made a substantial effort to regain control of himself and succeeded; but only just. He knew he was capable of having his body temperature raised absolutely and could spontaneously combust with an almighty blaze, and because of that he also knew he had to be careful or his excitement could cause the whole world to burn.

"Whoa, are you ever warm! You okay Ash, for a second there your body temperature spiked exponentially," Lexie inquired, her voice half teasing, half concerned as Ash turned around and smiled reassuringly at her. She knew she was starting to affect him and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Ash didn't find her unattractive; which only reinforced the notion that he was pining after someone else but Amber would cross that bridge when she got to it. Ash quickly reassured her he was just fine as she relaxed somewhat, their little antics not going unnoticed as Brock decided to further Ash's embarrassment by bowing to him jokingly while chanting "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy" over and over again. Ash rolled his eyes and Lexie chuckled at his antics.

"Anyways, I'm glad Froakie is gonna be alright Sophie; thank you for taking care of him for us. I don't think Ash and Raichu could have lived with their guilt if it somehow didn't make it through this," Bonnie said gratuitously. She flashed the young Pokémon researcher a dazzling smile as Sophie beamed at them; glad she had been able to help in some small way and applauding Ash's quick response by bringing Froakie here in just a nick of time.

As they were talking and hanging about, a Garchomp came walking into the room followed by professor Sycamore, who was still engrossed in one of Ash's many notebooks and appearing absolutely fascinated by what he was reading. "Don't worry you guys; this Garchomp has an extremely kind heart and is very good with kids and other Pokémon," Sycamore reassured them. He wasn't expecting anybody, least of all Bonnie, to be afraid of the Mach Pokémon; but he wanted to reassure them nonetheless even as said girl was running on the spot with antsy anticipation.

"So CUTE, may I pet her?" Bonnie asked in pure adoration, and Sycamore nodded. "Of course, I think Garchomp would really like that," he said in response. As if to confirm Sycamore's statement, Garchomp leaned into Bonnie's touch with a soft "Gar, Gar" as the esteemed professor lifted her up to pat her on her head. "Wow, you really _are_ friendly aren't you Garchomp," Bonnie squealed excitedly. Ash and everyone else smiled at the scene unfurling before them as Sycamore nodded once again, and Lexie-Amber decided to take the initiative as she tapped Ash on the shoulder; watching as he spun around on his access and gazed at her. Evidently he was wondering what she had in mind as she managed to find her voice in time before she ended up making a fool of herself. She knew this was the time to try and get him alone so they could have a much more serious talk.

"So um, I was wondering if you wanted to... you know, go hang out somewhere and let me give you the grand tour of this fine city. Since I'm guessing this is your first time in Kalos and all," Amber stuttered uncertainly. She knew that as far as excuses went that was pretty lame; and she prayed Ash accepted it as she gave him an almost imploring look. She seemed fully genuinely flustered for the first time since showing up here, and she had that significant and serious look in her eyes again as Ash nodded without hesitation. He immediately sensed that not only was Amber technically asking him out on a date despite only having met him maybe an hour or two ago, but was also trying to get him alone so they could talk about whatever was clearly troubling her. He wondered if she was in some kind of trouble with the law or in too deep with the wrong sort of people and realized she may have been afraid to ask for his help due to worrying about dragging him into something dangerous. Something suddenly clicked in his head as he realized why she might have been trying so hard to gauge his full abilities; it was possible she was testing him to determine how capable he was of protecting her from whatever or whoever she was running from. With this hunch in mind and his strong gut feelings concerning her situation he knew he'd do almost anything to secure her freedom from whoever might have been controlling her life. It also helped her case when she was acting more vulnerable, nervous, and scared rather than hiding behind a veil of confidence and flirtatious quirks. He definitely found this softer, more emotional side of her much more attractive but couldn't afford to slip up and get distracted now, not when she might seriously need his help. He knew that hanging out with her a bit wouldn't hurt too much; it might give him time to get inside her head and figure out what was wrong. Something told him she had some very mature thoughts in mind with regards to him, and he couldn't deny a part of him wanted to find some form of sexual release through her since the most sexual experience he had was the occasional masturbation. But he wanted to get to know her first and maybe confirm a few of his suspicions regarding the true nature of her existence.

He didn't know what was going to happen between them long term; Serena held absolute power over him for so long he'd never even entertained the idea of pursuing a relationship with anyone else, and while he was flattered that a girl as seemingly nice and beautiful as Lexie was into him hardcore he just couldn't bring himself to taint the memory of his precious straw-hat-girl. He often wondered if it was realistic for him to hold onto the precious memories of his childhood love for so long; but he stuck by what he said before that true friendship never died. That may have been what he said to her the day she moved away but what he really meant was that ' _true_ ** _love_** _never died_ '. Even at eight-years-old he had been absolutely smitten and in love with the honey haired girl, he never said anything though since his shockingly mature feelings for his age might have frightened her off and overwhelmed her. No matter his feelings for Serena however, he knew that Lexie could potentially be more than just a friend to him if he gave her the chance and kept an open heart. The thing was, he just wasn't interested in her that way and while he found her good looking and knew her to be an attractive woman it just didn't do anything for him.

As Lexie marched him out the front door and into the vastness of Lumiose in broad daylight to discuss whatever she needed to tell him he couldn't help but wonder what could've been between him and his newest companion if Serena had not stolen his heart right from the day he met her over ten years ago. His knowledge of the Omni-Dimensional Continuum and events that never were to be seemed to speak of a very different path laid out in front of him; yet in this timeline all paths in his life lead irrevocably and inexorably towards one Miss Serena Yvonne. Hunches and gut feelings also told him that whatever Lexie wanted to talk to him about may end up sending the both of them on a whirlwind adventure fraught with dangers even Ash himself might find troubling. He'd been able to sense that she was an exceedingly powerful trainer; quite possibly rivaling even him if what he suspected turned out to be true. If there was something out there that was capable of scaring a trainer of her caliber enough to come to him for help; then it was possible that they were both in over their heads. But if she honestly believed he wouldn't do absolutely anything and everything within his power to help her in her time of need; then she didn't know the kind of person he was very well. He didn't care how powerful the person Lexie was trying to get away from was; he'd take them on like he had everything else...

XXXXX

_Five Hours Later_

Ash snorted in slight laughter as he and Lexie walked out of the Restaurant Le Wow, the best restaurant in the city with a delicious multi-course meal in their bellies. "Man, did you see the look on that waiter's face when he realized who you were; I thought he was going to have a stroke or something. Seems you're already famous around these parts Ketchum, and for good reason; but I think the real icing on the cake was when you ordered everything for the two of us in fluent Kalosian French, then Japanese, then Chinese, and a whole sleuth of other languages I've never even heard before. Or maybe it was the fact that you ordered... what was it, twenty or so courses for your own meal. You're not showing off for me are you Ashy-Boy?" she teased as Ash blew her a playful raspberry like a giant four-year-old. Raichu guffawed like mad as he walked by their side; wanting to exercise a bit from the amount of food he consumed.

They'd put off the inevitable discussion concerning Lexie's reasons for getting him out here alone and Ash knew he'd have to be patient with her. He knew that whatever it was she needed from him she wasn't 100 percent confident in his ability to help her with whatever problem she was having. He felt partially responsible for this since clearly him downplaying his abilities wasn't helping in her case; and given what he suspected of her true nature maybe she was already waist deep in a situation she wasn't sure how to handle and came to him for help because she sensed a kindred spirit in him. He was tempted to reveal everything to her right then and there but wanted to help ease her into it first; if he did open up to her she'd be the first person to know absolutely _everything_ about him.

"Twenty five actually, trust me I counted; believe me when I said I could have eaten those guys out of house and home," Ash specified, his eidetic memory coming in handy with the total recall. Lexie continued laughing hysterically, unable to remember a time where she had this much fun and feeling more free from Lysandre than she had in a very long time. "Yeah, how did you do that exactly? Superhuman metabolic rate or something," Lexie guessed, and Ash nodded with a smirk. "Actually yeah, that's pretty much it; when you have abilities like mine of course they would tell your body to eat infinite amounts of food in order to sustain them. It's not that I've ever actually done that even though I could; but then again I never actually needed to and somehow my body has adjusted to it I think," Ash explained, and Lexie nodded, surprising him yet again with her ability to comprehend insane information with ridiculous ease. She knew he was still playing down his full abilities but also sensed he was slowly trying to ease her into something.

"You know, you're not exactly what I expected when I first laid eyes on you," Ash admitted, feeling at ease and cheerful despite the sticky situation they found themselves in as they reached the corner of North Boulevard and walked side by side. Raichu scurried up Ash and onto his shoulder; feeling more comfortable there as Lexie-Amber shuffled her feet rather nervously. "Yeah, I have to admit you're starting to surpass all of my expectations. The man is even more amazing than the myth. I mean you've saved the world dozens of times and you take zero credit for it. To me you're more than just a hero, you're a superhero," Lexie praised him as Ash attempted to protest by saying he did what anyone would have done in his position, but Lexie silenced him with a finger to his lips, making him shut up due to nervousness as she pressed on. "I'm serious Ash, if more humans were like you the world would be a much better place; maybe even Team Flare's so called vision of a beautiful world would not be so farfetched if you were leading it instead of misanthropic egotists like Lysandre. I think if people like us banded together, there would be no limits to what we could achieve. Mark my words Ash, we could accomplish wonders together," she whispered with an overzealous zeal that could've given him a run for his money.

Ash found himself relating to her very well, like she was some long lost best friend or something. He found it almost impossible to keep anything from her at this point as he said the first thing that came to mind before he could stop himself. "There's already no limits to what I can achieve by myself; but that doesn't mean I'm opposed to the idea of a partner, a comrade, and a friend. That all said, I can sense you have more reasons in mind for seeing me than simply wishing to meet your idol," he deduced as Amber nodded solemnly. Raichu, in all his infinite wisdom; opted to return himself to his Pokeball with the press of a button on Ash's Pokeball holsters, sensing this discussion was coming to a much heavier topic he wanted no part of at the moment. He'd already had a pretty stressful day and didn't need any compounded things ruining what little fun he had that evening, and thus he vanished in a beam of red energy and vanished with the familiar whirring sound of a Pokémon being returned. The conversation carried on unabated as Ash decided to give Raichu the rest of the night off while waiting for Lexie's response.

"I knew you would catch on that something was up eventually; Ash the truth is, I'm in trouble, I'm in deep with some really bad people not unlike Team Flare and I don't know where else to turn," Lexie-Amber admitted finally while looking to and fro over her shoulders and all around them to ensure they were completely alone while Ash nodded understandingly. "And you opted to try and gauge my full range of abilities to determine how capable I am of protecting you; what puzzles me however, is how high your expectations of me seemed to be in order for you to feel safe. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in deep with someone either as omnipotent as some of the Pokémon on my current roster or with access to such Pokémon themselves, am I about right," Ash smirked at her in a cheeky manner as she couldn't believe her luck. She gawked at him with slacken jaws, unable to believe how quickly he sussed all that out. "You... got it all in one, Ash I... um, there's some things I should probably tell you. Things I should've told you right from the get go but couldn't due to extenuating circumstances, at least not until now," Lexie told him hesitantly, true fear in her eyes as Ash found himself already figuring everything out before she even opened up to him.

"My real name is Amber Valentino for starters," Amber finally admitted, as Ash finally nodded with a smile before interjecting for a moment. "I actually like that name much better than Lexie if I'm being honest; also let me stop you there. Don't tell me anything more Amber, I wanna see if I can figure it all out alright... Okay, okay, um, I'm guessing you're the Team Flare admin I sent that message to earlier for starters," Ash started as Amber's eyes widened in slight panic mixed with amazement as she looked down at her feet in shame. "Ash I'm... sorry, I never intended for any of that stuff to happen; those grunts had very specific orders to simply go out and ask for trainers to lend their Pokémon for us to clone for Lysandre's shadow Pokémon project, which I was very strongly opposed to by the way," Amber started as Ash silently encouraged her to continue, reserving judgment for when she finished and unable to find any traces of deception in her eyes.

"The grunts went completely against my instructions; they were never to forcefully extract another trainer's Pokémon and they were to immediately return the original once it had been successfully cloned. I would've given the clones the freedom to choose their own destinies as well if I had any say in it but Lysandre had other plans; anyways, the grunts completely disobeyed my instructions and I suspect Lysandre was undermining my authority behind my back or something. Truth is, my biological parents died in a fire when I was only a small girl; and Lysandre just happened to be there at the right place at the right time to save my life and put out the fire but failed to save my parents in time. It wasn't until later on after he took me under his wing when I realized he wasn't as interested in seeking redemption for his past sins as I would've preferred to believe. But when I tried to extricate myself, more than once mind you, he..." Amber paused for a moment, unable to continue as she continued laying her soul bare before Ash and her emotions caused her to get choked up as Ash pulled her into a comforting hug without a second thought and let her cry as she nuzzled her face into his chest.

"Ash, please believe me; I never wanted any part in this new Team Flare and I'm not naive enough to believe that they're nearly as reformed as they claim. I know that I'm at least indirectly responsible for what happened to Froakie even if inadvertently and I know you have no reason to believe or forgive me but please understand I've done everything I can to make the most morally sound choices given the circumstances. If I believed for even one second that I could escape from under Lysandre's thumb on my own without suffering dire consequences then I would've done so years ago; but I'm not strong enough to get away from him on my own. That's why when I saw the message you sent me along with my grunts I had to see you and make sure you were really all that you seemed," Amber sniffed, her voice muffled by her face pressed against Ash's chest. She knew it probably wasn't entirely fair to dump all this on him when they hardly knew each other; but she had spent too much time bottling this up to care and had only ever revealed this much to her Pokémon before which didn't help her since her Pokémon were in the same sticky situation she was in.

Ash felt absolutely terrible about sending that message now given the circumstances surrounding this amazing girl; he never would've imagined someone working with the enemy could have gone through so much personal tragedy and still have a sense of morality enough to try and break ties with the likes of Lysandre. "Shh, shh, it's okay Amber; you were under duress when you did those things. Your heart is pure, I can sense that much just by looking at you; but even the best of us can be forced into situations that goes against everything we stand for, especially when certain key elements keep us from upholding the principles we hold so dear. I'm sorry I sent you that message Amber, I was angry at the circumstances surrounding my confrontation with those grunts and I didn't even care who you were or what sort of person you might have been. I didn't even consider the possibility that you could be so nice," Ash admitted remorsefully as he soothingly rubbed her back; surprised when she leaned into his touch and sighed with relief. "Well I'm not sorry Ash, if you hadn't sent me that message then I never would have learned who you were or entertained the possibility that you could help me with my situation. I'm grateful to you, probably more than you could ever know," Amber sincerely whispered as Ash's heart swelled with compassion for this remarkable human being who he felt such a strong kinship with.

' _Arceus, is she one of my fellow Omega Omnisphere Champions or not?! Just say something already_ ,' Ash telepathed as Arceus chuckled and replied as though he were waiting for his cue. ' _Yes Ash, Amber Valentino is one of the predestined OO Champs of our indigenous universe; you know I wasn't to interfere directly with any of your destinies but I had lost any sign of Amber during the last couple of years and at least now I know why. Of all the possible worst case scenarios I could have anticipated for her this wasn't one of them, but to answer your unasked question yes Ash; you can tell her everything about you. In fact I must insist that you do so, it may help her with her situation regarding the leader of Team Flare; I'm not sure how he has managed to gain control over one of my chosen champions for the Omega Omnisphere but we'll find out in due time I reckon_.'

Ash nodded mentally as he continued to hold a slowly calming Amber in his arms; surprised by how well their bodies fit together as her well endowed bust pressed against his torso. He very quickly noticed she wasn't wearing a bra and her nipples were prominently displayed beneath the fabric as she held him to her like he was her lifeline and she never wanted to let go. Seeing one of his fellow champions of totality so afraid for her life and vulnerable made Ash feel compelled beyond measure to do absolutely everything he could to help her. He pulled away reluctantly but still held her at arms length as he found his voice, surprised to feel tears tracking down his own cheeks as the emotions of this entire situation caught up to him. "Amber, you have to know that after all that you revealed to me I will do everything I can to help you," Ash told her as Amber nodded shakily. "Not that I don't totally appreciate your willingness to do so as well as the fact that you believe me; but Lysandre has both Yveltal and Xerneas in their primal forms, and you and I both know what that means. Also, I don't know exactly what he did or how he did it; but somehow he used the life debt I owed him for his saving of me years ago to tether my life to him in a horrific way. So basically, every time I openly defy him he does this strange voodoo magic thing where I collapse to my knees and am basically crippled and nauseous and can't do anything until I submit to him again," Amber explained the situation as Ash furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"But that doesn't make any sense, from what I've sensed you have a Primal Yveltal and Xerneas to, or at least two legends with full blown omni powers since I couldn't get a reading on them. If Lysandre tried to force you into anything without your consent, even with his two almighty legends; your own should have been able to invoke the omnipotence paradox to invalidate the two of them for even _attempting_ something like controlling you," Ash quickly reasoned. "He said something about creating an inanimate object to bind me instead of an actual living omnipotent entity; he said how unconscious all-powerful forces couldn't have the omnipotence paradox used against them since they didn't initiate anything consciously and were only doing what they were created to do," Amber quickly responded as Ash glared rather darkly at that revelation. "Amber... he lied, while it is true that all-powerful relics and omnipotent unconscious forces don't initiate anything in the conventional sense you can still create an omnipotence paradox to invalidate such forces and items if the only purpose for them existing is to manipulate omnipotent beings such as your Pokémon and by extension yourself. Basically what I'm saying is you called him out and threatened to walk out on him, and he had to say or do something to keep you from trying to defy him; so he bluffed, very convincingly mind you but that's all he did Amber, he bluffed," Ash explained to her simply as Amber stared at him like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"So all this time he was... wait a minute, how was he able to make we go all weak and feel so nauseous and stuff if that was the case," Amber suddenly realized as Ash continued smiling insanely at her. "Because you let him get inside your head, you believed him and bought the bluff. Basically, he took advantage of your lack of knowledge on the subtler mechanics of omnipotence; but I bet if you called his bluff and invoked the paradox you'll be very, _very_ pleased with the results," Ash smirked at her as Amber felt gratitude and hope beyond anything she'd ever felt before surging through her with suddenly indefatigable vigor. "Um, just one question though Ash; how do I even create the paradox, cuz I ran that by my Yveltal and Xerneas and even they didn't know," Amber asked him as she felt relief flooded her veins like she'd never felt before. "I'd imagine your Yveltal and Xerneas were offspring of the original ones of their kind so their knowledge on the subject is only as great or only a little bit greater than yours, and I can show you how Amber; I can teach you how to use the paradox to keep him from misusing that power. But in the meantime how's about we both watch a movie or something and get to know one another better. Now that your primary concern more or less for naught, we can relax a little bit more and maybe I can tell you some secrets about me I think you'll find enlightening; hell Amber, I reckon you might learn a thing or two about yourself while the pair of us are watching that movie," Ash knowingly smiled as Amber flashed her first genuinely dazzling and radiant smile for the first time in forever as she took his outstretched hand and was surprised when he suddenly brought her up into his arms bridal style and the pair of them left the ground in a whirl of inhuman speeds. She looked down at the earth below them and was amazed to discover they were flying; with nothing but air and the pavement beneath them as she turned to look at Ash who winked at her, the wind whipping about them as he offered her a scenic view few cities could ever match.

"Oh my God, this is _amazing_ ," Amber screamed in pure joy as her saving grace and guardian angel chuckled. She tightened her grip on his neck as he swooped downwards unexpectedly and she screamed as she shut her eyes tight. Ash chortled lightly again at her obvious fear, but knew that the fear factor only added to the experience as he took a little detour on a whim and warped the two of them to the heart of Lumiose City; setting her down on the top level outside of Prism Tower while waiting for her to get off. She still clung to him for a while though and stood on top of his feet. "Amber, you can open your eyes now," Ash finally said after a few minutes, but in a good natured manner as she did just that and gasped out loud when she saw where they were. "Holy hell, you can see all of Lumiose City from here," she breathlessly proclaimed as the iconic metropolitan environment gave the ultimate light show just as the sun started setting behind the tops of the tallest skyscrapers on the horizon. Turning to Ash as he studied the scenic view with eyes that were over-saturated with intellect and an inexhaustible amount of manic energy; Amber knew he was about to confirm a fair few suspicions she had regarding the true nature of his abilities and his apparent godhood.

A perfect smile with pearly white teeth split Amber's face as she locked gazes with him, swooning like mad at the ungodly, otherworldly powers he was literally radiating and allowing to wash over her; confirming her suspicions with actions far beyond mere words. She knew she was safe now, Ash would never let anything happen to her despite the fact he barely knew her and she confessed she was the very same admin he so harshly addressed only hours before. She curiously wondered if he was being naive or foolish trusting her so easily despite everything that happened but maybe she'd said more in her heartfelt admission than she realized; maybe his ability to read her was not as limited as he first claimed. She'd heard of his kindness and endless capacity for romantic love, as well as his utter devotion to his friends and a mystery girl he'd loved since childhood on his trainer profile; but she never thought he'd be so much larger than life in person, that he'd look bigger than he did on all the TV news programs who'd featured stories on him in the past. Any guy who was so willing to help a near complete stranger and who was loyal to the girl he fell in love with almost a decade ago was far more than okay in her books.

"Ash... you don't even realize just how perfectly wonderful you are do you? Before I came to see you today I read up on your trainer profile and I heard about your kindness and capacity for hope and love; as well as this mystery girl you fell in love with and devoted all your most important battles to. But I never imagined that such praising words and the fact that you've touched so many lives would fail to do you justice. Whoever this childhood friend and love of yours is she's the luckiest person alive and she doesn't even know it, I'm actually really envious if I'm being completely honest. You don't seem like the type to form a romantic attraction to someone overnight and I doubt I could entice you into a one-night-stand even if I tried; so I really hope it works out for you two and hopefully I might be able to see it happen, assuming Lysandre doesn't kill me first. So yes Ash, I'd love to get to know you better to; please show me what being your friend entails. I'd love nothing more than to convey my gratitude to you by giving you the best sexual experience I can but I'll settle for anything at this point. So if you want to go catch a movie with me as friends then lead the way mister Pokémon Master," Amber teased him as Ash immediately tensed much to her confusion. "Are you okay, what's wrong," Amber wondered, worried as Ash seemed uncharacteristically non-hyper verbal.

"N-nothing, it's just... that girl you mentioned, the one you read about in my Trainer Profile; she used to call me mister Pokémon Master in that exact same teasing manner you did just now, so it was just a really weird flashback moment for me. You actually remind me of her somewhat, but please don't take that comment the wrong way; I like you and I'm equal parts flattered that you desire me in such a manner and astounded you have the balls to admit that so callously. But like you said I don't get caught in romantic entanglements overnight and frankly I've had some of the most gorgeous looking girls on earth offer me everything from money to fame, sex, good food, and even true genuine love and none of them have swayed my heart in the slightest. Most of the time it wasn't even hard for me to remain true and loyal to her, unless the girl trying to win my affections was a good friend of mine and even then the only thing I felt was sad for having to break their hearts but I never felt anything beyond that," Ash admitted in a lengthy response as Amber nodded understandingly.

"I know you said not to take that comment the wrong way, but nevertheless Ash that's a huge compliment for me; it gives me hope that maybe if things don't work out between you and this girl when you track her down maybe you could give me a chance. Or who knows, maybe you could talk her into a threesome or even sharing you with me on an indefinite basis," she winked suggestively at him, causing all the hair on his body to stand on end and a full body blush to creep down his entire torso; goosebumps and what not breaking out on every bit of exposed skin as his embarrassment caused his body and his cells to enter a state of superhuman excitement. Amber watched in utter fascination as his entire body started vibrating at the speed of light, vanishing in and out of the visible spectrum as his cells began ionizing and streaks of golden lightning trailed off his body in eternal ultraluminous glory. The boundlessly brilliant light show vastly outshone everything else in the city in Amber's opinion and seared itself forever onto her mind and heart as something she would never forget as long as she lived.

She was absolutely astounded that she was not permanently blinded by this display. As a matter of fact her eyes weren't the slightest bit bothered as she reached out and grabbed hold of Ash's electrified hands, flattered wholeheartedly that she'd caused this type of reaction from him. His body was brighter than a quasar but was bound to attract unwanted attention to them if she didn't calm him down. She pulled away slightly when a static shock charged through her hands unexpectedly, but she maintained calm and serenity as she spoke out loud as best she could to get his attention. "Ash, sweetie, while I'm touched that you reacted in such a manner to my suggestion you should probably take it down a couple thousand notches or so," she politely requested, her words reaching his omni enhanced sense of hearing as he willed himself to slow down and regain his emotional equilibrium. Amber's comment, whether intended that way or not; had caused some very lewd images of her and the older Serena he'd envisioned engaging in a threesome with him to form in his mind, which in turn had gotten him more excited than he'd been in years. That type of reaction to Serena was expected, but what really surprised him was how the thought of Amber joining in was almost equally as erotic in his second head and inner God's opinions.

"Sorry, I guess I got a little overexcited by what you so eloquently suggested," Ash sheepishly admitted, recovering his wits astonishingly fast as the light show died down and he managed to return to a semblance of normalcy and composure. Amber giggled as well, finding him more and more attractive by the minute as she realized they were sort of getting off the point. "Ash, I know I've said your willingness to help me with my problem regarding Lysandre and what not is really appreciated and all that; but I need to know for sure that invoking the omnipotence paradox is really enough. Also given your display of fireworks just moments ago I'd say you know more about the subtleties and mechanics of omnipotence than any man or woman on earth so just spill already. When you told Clemont you were powerful but not omnipotent, you were lying weren't you; whatever legendary Pokémon you captured were like my Yveltal and Xerneas in their primal forms and likely transferred their powers to you, am I about right," Amber astutely said, using Ash's own unlimited powers of deduction against him as Ash couldn't restrain the cheeky grin that split his face. "You figured that out right quick, honestly I don't even know why I bother downplaying my talents at all; Arceus says its bad for business as a god when people know the full extent of your powers, godhood, and what not but for all my brilliance I've never been the best liar. Frankly it's never been a skill I've really wanted to master, although giving my unlimited competence in all fields it wouldn't be too difficult. I just tend to worry that if I start I will find it harder and harder to stop," Ash rambled on as Amber grinned up at him like a cheeky Meowth. "I knew it, I knew you weren't being 100 percent forthcoming I just didn't know if your full range of superpowers were as omnipotent as I hoped and so long as there remained any reasonable doubt I..." Amber paused a moment as Ash finished her sentence for her.

"You didn't feel completely safe with entrusting this information to me, Amber you should've gleaned enough information from my profile to learn that no matter how strong my opponents have been in the past I've always found a way to overcome them. Look at Ghetsis, Team Plasma, and the Original Dragon of Unova if you want to see my previous track record for dueling against omnipotent adversaries. Ghetsis was completely psychotic, granted he did seem to understand the do's and don't's of omnipotence a lot less than Lysandre; but he was planning to use Kyurem's unlimited form to flash freeze the entire world and by extension the whole of reality in negative infinity degrees cold. For the record that makes an absolute zero chill look like the fourth of July on the planet's tropical Equator by comparison. Lysandre may have understood the paradoxes involving omnipotence more than Ghetsis does but he wasn't insane enough to believe he could subvert the entire Omega Omnisphere; hell Ghetsis probably would have if I didn't stop him _and_ capture Kyurem as well in the process so nobody could abuse his power ever again," Ash explained to her. "Wait a minute hang on, if Kyurem is omnipotent in his unlimited form how was Ghetsis able to control him enough to try and carry out his plans," Amber questioned him rather confusedly as Ash gave her an intense look. "He _wasn't_ , he lost control of Kyurem completely the instant he commanded him to take on that form, and Kyurem; blinded by his impossible rage, began rampaging like mad and flash freezing the Omega Omnisphere anyways. As an Omega Omnisphere Champion of Pokémon, it was my duty, no... my honor to step in; defeat Kyurem in battle alongside my Arceus, and capture him in a Master Ball to prevent anything like that from ever happening again. When Kyurem came to his senses he thanked me for stopping him and decided to join my on my journey, and the rest is well... history," Ash told this story in such a way that Amber was both entranced and terrified. Ash meanwhile, was lost in the memories of that epic battle both good and bad and he stopped there as Amber took a moment to collect herself.

"So um, Omega Omnisphere Champions?" she repeated in a questioning way. "An Omega Omnisphere Champion is a Pokémon Master who has achieved a level of infinity like no other, who is revered as a God among Pokémon masters across the whole of reality. The Double-O by the way, is like the Capital-G God Reality in itself; the largest thing forever conceptualized or imagined by any mind. Absolutely all-encompassing of everything and anything imaginable and not, and nothing exists outside of it by its very fundamental design. So supposedly an Omega Omnisphere Champion is a Pokémon Trainer who has gone above and beyond even World Champions like my father Red by infinite times; taking our world's concept of level infinity Pokémon to a completely unparalleled, unprecedented level. People like me pretty much expected to be willing to play by a completely different set of rules from other Pokémon Champions or no rules at all; for example one could have a mega evolution created for every one of his or her Pokémon regardless of if they can mega evolve normally or not. Omega Omnisphere Champions are free to do whatever they want and to completely customize their Pokémon's powers, abilities, attack and move pool, and everything else in order to create these completely insurmountable challenges for their opponents. Basically Omega Omnisphere Champions make a career out of flattening World Champion caliber trainers across the Omega Omnisphere. But even when they abide by a specific universe's set of rules where Pokémon Battling is concerned they are still able to beat that universe's best trainers at their own games so to speak; in fact you wouldn't be considered an Omega Omnisphere Champion if you couldn't master all forms and styles of Pokémon Battling in any and all universes and realities. We're essentially the Action Replay Code Masters and Arbitrary Code Execution Glitches of the Omega Omnisphere and all the Pokémon in them," Ash chuckled at his cross-dimensional reference as Amber stared at him in confusion at the last part, before processing everything else and staring at him in a completely new light.

"So you can do all that, and Arceus saw fit to bestow you with your supreme god powers... because why exactly? Also did you actually capture an Arceus on top of all that?" Amber couldn't help but ask. "Yes I did capture an Arceus, in fact I captured the _Original One_ , the very first of Arceus kind in our universe and the creator of our world and everything in it omnipotent or otherwise. It was near the end of my Sinnoh Journey actually, I'll go more into that later. As far as the Omnipotence Nexus's established hierarchy goes Arceus is higher up the food chain than just about anyone else in our version of reality, but aside from that only Omega Omnisphere Champions and those that behave as our kind's antithetical entities are permitted to capture the likes of an Arceus and nearly all the other kinds of legendary Pokémon capable of becoming absolutely invincible by their very nature.

As for my god powers, it's not like a prerequisite or something for my kind to have such abilities. It isn't mandatory or anything however it is recommended; with our prowess as Pokémon Trainers unlike all others we often tend to attract grave dangers. Because of that Arceus makes it a point to deify any trainer with the predisposition and what not to become an Omega Omnisphere Champ; so that we could defend ourselves in any situation where our Pokémon could not, do anything and everything when we have to fend for ourselves. It also helps our Pokémon in a way when we train them and can train with them ourselves and be able to keep up with their every move, even spar with them without having to worry about getting hurt or overexerted. Level infinity Pokémon also have the potential to live forever so when their trainers undergo this apotheosis and have the potential to live with them for all eternity these Pokémon will almost never have to worry about deciding upon new masters as it were. We can live with our Pokémon and their perpetuated existences for all of time, potentially even beyond the collapse of the Omega Omnisphere itself assuming such phenomena is even remotely possible," Ash explained to Amber with excruciating simplicity as Amber nodded with equally perplexing understanding and comprehension of his almighty lexicon. Ash smiled as he let the implications sink in with her and waited for her to put two-and-two together as he knew it would. He mentally applauded her as her eyes lit up in endless wonder, the two of them thinking and operating on the same exact wavelength as Amber found her voice; the whistling updrafts and the acoustics of the city beneath them doing little to drown her out.

"Wait just a minute here, I've been feeling a strong and inexplicable kinship with you since the moment we met; and something about it almost felt instinctual. Plus after everything you've told me, what with Lysandre and the omnipotence paradox and the life-altering holographic warning message you sent me that practically led me to seeking you out. And then you just happen to be the saving grace needed for me to get out from under him, which drives me to believe our encounter was somehow fated. There is only one conclusion I can draw from all that Ash, you said you were an Omega Omnisphere Champion but you never once said you were the only one of your kind. You also made it seem as though you weren't completely unique in this God Reality you mentioned so yeah, you mind explaining why I feel like I could be one of those champions to? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but something tells me I'm not anyways so..." Amber left it at that letting Ash finish the sentence in his mind. "Yes, yes, yes, holy horse shit Amber you got it all in one; at least now you understand the why's and how's as well as how important it is for you to regain control of your own life. You're destined for so much more than just submitting to the terrors and whims of a madman like Lysandre; for all your impressive skills right now you have no comprehension of just how powerful you'll become. Hell, I've been living this inhuman lifestyle for over a year now and I'm nowhere near the height of my powers or my eventual career as a Pokémon Master of Totality," Ash confirmed her suspicions beyond the shadow of a doubt as Amber didn't know whether to feel elated, terrified, or both at once.

"I don't really know how to feel about this Ash, I mean... it's a lot to process," Amber admitted as Ash nodded in agreement, much to her chagrin. "It was a lot to take in for me as well initially, but you do eventually get used to it Amber; or as used to it as anyone with our impossible capabilities can ever become. There's a lot of responsibility to bear with this power, but people like us are almost always equipped to handle the situations and foes we face," Ash promised her. "Any chance your offer for that movie still stands, I could use a sit down and time to digest everything you've just told me. Plus these heights up here are nice and all but I'm not feeling super on-top-of-the-world at the moment. I kind of just want to get back down to earth and spend some time with my new friend if you'll still have me," Amber shyly suggested. "Amber, of course I'll still have you; you had the courage to admit the full, unabridged version of the truth to me despite the fact that you truly felt as though you were in danger, and I said to you before that you acted under duress. That can happen to the best of us given the right situations Amber, and I'm never one to judge a person on their past actions so long as they learn from them and their hearts are in the right place. So come on, let's get ourselves out of here. I can have us checked into a room at the Pokémon Center so fast your head will spin," Ash grinned cockily as Amber giggled like a Pokémon schoolgirl who had it bad for the cutest Ace Trainer boy in the class.

She was crushing on him hardcore, but she knew she wouldn't be getting any sex out of him; not tonight anyways. So she did the only thing she could do, she nodded mutely as the world displaced around them and they found themselves standing outside the Centrico Plaza Pokémon Center as Ash winked at her. "Come on then, Brock, Clemont, and Bonnie can survive without us for one night. I'll call them in the morning and tell them we got a little busy," he instructed her as Amber quirked an eyebrow. "That is suspiciously vague mister Ketchum, people might think we were up to no good," she suggestively spoke as Ash returned her smirk with a feral grin to match. "Let them think what they want, tonight is about you and me. Besides, we need to come up with a viable game plan on how to destroy the last vestiges of Lysandre's already slipping control over you; and maybe discuss a few other things. I reckon there are some blanks I need to fill in about this whole Omega Omnisphere Championship thing as well; I can also help you and your Pokémon by giving a few pointers on how to improve their abilities and master all the possible applications. Despite their obvious and overwhelming power your Pokémon seem to lack a lot of necessary battle experience; if you want to make it in this life we tend to lead, you and I both need to keep training. Keep getting better, smarter, more strategic, more prepared for any situation, more expecting of the unexpected, open minded to the impossible, and masterful of all the applications of ours and our Pokémon's various level infinity abilities. On top of that, we need to try and complete our Blessed Trinity; because in our universe there is a grand total of three Double-O Champions handpicked by Arceus himself," Ash excitedly planned a transfinite number of steps ahead as he realized this was the first time he could be completely open with someone about everything. Amber was the first of his kind he'd met and he was going to do everything he could to help her better understand all the complexities that made up their natures.

"Whoa there, slow down there Speed Form Deoxys; who's the third Double-O Champ as you put it," Amber finally wondered as Ash grew a smile brighter than any sun. "The very same mystery girl you mentioned in my Trainer Profile; I have yet to track her down properly, plus her omni-locked mental, physical, and spiritual defenses make it difficult to do so. But Arceus confirmed she was in Vaniville Town this morning when I first woke up on the plane to Kalos. It's amazing how this is working out to be honest, I've been wanting to see her again for over ten years and now I've finally been given the chance; like I finally have a legitimate excuse to properly track her down or something, not that I need said excuse. Somehow her being gifted with the same grand destiny as me just makes our upcoming reunion all the sweeter," Ash told her with completely naked honesty as Amber giggled. "Oh come on, how freaking ironic is that?!" she exclaimed with glee, and Ash couldn't help but share in her enthusiasm as a pair of trainers walking by towards the entrance of the PC stared at them like they'd lost their bloody marbles, but both of them were too filled to the rim with elation to give a damn. As the two of them regained their composure and trekked towards the PC's sliding automatic doors; both of them experienced temporal dilation as Amber decided to get one more question out of the way that had been bugging her before they watched whatever movie Ash had in mind.

"Okay so um, aside from our universe's Chosen Three, are there other Double-O Champs out there in the wide expanse of the... well Double-O? Also how could you tell that I was one of your kin, I know you've at least suspected as much for some time; don't ask me how I know this it's like this strange instinctual knowledge. I don't know why but I can somehow read you and follow your thoughts alarmingly well; but that still doesn't explain how you could've known we were alike if I'm the first of your fellow Double-O Champs you've ever seen," Amber rapidly fired off her barrage of questions as Ash responded equally as rapidly. "I don't really know how, I can just tell, it's an instinct really; there's just something about our kind that speaks to each other Amber, and I've been having this impression that we're kindred spirits all day. Admittedly I didn't recognize this instinctual premonition I felt when I first met you because like you worked out on your own, you're the first fellow Omega Omnisphere I've met thus far. But after everything that just transpired placing that set of feelings was almost effortless. Just so you know Amber, we may have met on the whims of Totality but like me you do have a choice in this; you can turn away from all of this if you want and Arceus would never begrudge you the opportunity to forge your own path, if you'd rather I mean," Ash reassuringly stated as Amber laughed outright at that statement like she thought he was crazy.

"Are you nuts, this is the most mind-fucking scenario I've ever found myself in, but in a weirdly good way. Few could ever even dream of being in our position and those that do could almost never make it a reality; so thank you Ash. This inhuman lifestyle you've adopted, I want to be a part of it; but only when I feel I'm ready to be and am satisfied with myself and shed of Lysandre forever. Also, you didn't answer my first question," she playfully admonished him as Ash held up a hand in an equally mock-placating position. "I was getting to that, and yes; while our pantheon is a rare breed we're not the only Double-O Champions out there. Heck, from what little I've heard there are even a select few who are quite a few notches above us and our superiors in seniority, practice, and experience. The concept of the Omega Omnisphere Champions was born of a legendary being known as Ash Ketchum Infinity. In Multiversal terms I'm called Ash Ketchum 1 Million and our world is 1 million times removed from the Pokémon Prime Universe. Ash Ketchum Infinity however, was supposedly my doppelganger from a world infinitely removed from both our universe and its primeval counterpart.

The myths and legends surrounding him were where the concept of Double-O level Pokémon Championship was born from. And while the man behind those legends most likely wasn't all he was cracked up to be his example inspires all of us Double-O champs that have sprung up in his wake. It also doesn't help support the truth behind the myths that Ash Infinity vanished without a trace from every single corner of creation, but hey that's why I keep traveling; to be proven wrong. I'm not sure if it's at all possible to become number one in the Omega Omnisphere at _anything_ , considering the Double-O's immense size and all its endless hierarchies for every field of talent, knowledge, sport, and the like; but if the myths behind my eternally removed doppelganger are even marginally true then he was the original Double-O Champ and the one who set the standards for all the others," Ash said, concluding his lengthy anecdote as Amber stared at him in pure awe and wonder. "Wow, so wait, the theories behind the Multi and Omniverses... They're all true," she asked him for clarification. "Oh yeah, in fact the Omega Omnisphere is just another word for what many omniverse theorists believe the capital-O Omniverse to be; so essentially it's the unambiguous sum total of existence and infinite realities," Ash answered quickly, having anticipated that question from a mile away.

Amber's look of acceptance was all the response he needed as the eternal temporal crawl they were both experiencing resumed its normal pace. They suddenly found themselves walking through the entrance to the PC much faster, reaching Nurse Joy at her desk at the back of the entrance room. "Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center, is there anything I can help you with," the pink-haired nurse said with her perpetual perky smile. "Um yes actually, I'd like a room for the two of us; with two beds please," Ash stated with emphasis on the last part as Nurse Joy chuckled and Amber huffed somewhat. "Very well, there is a few rooms like that available; I'll give you the card key here, and while you're both enjoying your stay here would you like me to examine your Pokémon," Nurse Joy offered somewhat hopefully as both Ash and Amber politely shook their heads no.

"I thought as much, let me guess; fully trained Pokémon with limitless self healing capabilities," Nurse Joy astutely observed the dozen-plus Pokeballs attached to their belts. "Yes indeed," Ash said simply as Joy handed him the card key while sighing. "At this rate, I'm going to be out of the job of treating Pokémon; with how advanced their self healing abilities are and considering the fact that our planet has pretty much developed the cure for everything we're going to be losing a lot of jobs," Joy hung her head sadly at the vastly changing world. "Times change Nurse Joy, we can't stop people and Pokémon from making these progressions simply to preserve a specific job; we'll need to adapt just the same as the planet, and in the meantime I'm sure opportunities will present themselves for us to find new and equally important jobs as being a nurse or Pokémon Doctor. My point is, the more advanced our civilization becomes and the more we learn and progress; the less we know and the bigger the problems we tend to end up dealing with. Everything changes and whether these changes are ultimately for better or worse we need to find a way to adapt instead of trying to control and keep these changes from taking place; otherwise we'll be denying the world many profound opportunities simply because we were too scared of losing certain jobs or of putting certain people out of business, a true leader of the world does what's right and what's best for the world as a whole, regardless of what certain people think," Ash explained to her in a rare case of surprising realism as Nurse Joy nodded understandingly before saying something else.

"Be that as it may mister Ketchum, I doubt everyone getting put out of business or out of the job will feel the same way," she said. "They'll have to find a way to move on and adapt, people are more resilient than you think; those that can't let go will be compensated, at least if I was the World Champ which I'm not at the moment. So this is all strictly hypothetical anyways," Ash said to her as Nurse Joy smiled and let the pair of trainers walk off; thinking to herself that Ash would make a great world leader, even if some of his decisions might have had a negative impact on certain jobs; she was confident he'd advance the world of Pokémon and people further than ever before. He was already well known throughout the entire planet and his heroic egresses back in Unova while stopping Team Plasma and the legendary Pokémon Kyurem made it on the news worldwide. Some people may have borne a grudge against him and the decisions he made when he was World Champ but if anyone could take over the job of Ash Ketchum's father it was Ash himself. It would be tough, but like so many of her cousins believed Nurse Joy and her entire family knew Ash very well and the kind of person he was. A smile lit up her face as she turned to Chansey and decided to check on the select few Pokémon that she was taking care of for newbie trainers.

As they walked away from Nurse Joy and into the maze-like junction of hallways leading to the high quality, well maintained rooms all around them; Amber turned to Ash with a smirk etched on her perfect face. "So, what movie did you have in mind; and what are we going to do about my Lysandre problem exactly," she asked him, feeling less worried about her Lysandre issue than she had ever before in her life and feeling completely light, happy, and free around her newest friend. "I do have some plans and possibilities for both those problems Amber; I'm assuming you told your fellow Team Flare members that you were planning to distract me or something while they found a new target to clone for their Shadow Pokémon project, am I right," Ash observantly worked out as Amber nodded and giggled behind her hand as she put it over her mouth. Somehow, Ash was making her feel the same fluttering stomachs, and other giddy sensations one associated with a first love; she knew she was crushing on him hardcore and was adamant about learning the identity of this mystery girl of his before the night was through.

"You figured that out pretty quickly," Amber told him quietly as they reached their room and stood together outside the door, talking in hushed whispers. "Well, I figured you'd have to tell them something to not raise any suspicions with Lysandre about your intentions; and for paranoia's sake I'm keeping my all-seeing third eye open and my omni senses on high alert in case he's trying to monitor us; I've also got the omnipotence paradox ready and able to be self-activated the moment he tries to force his way through certain... _other_ defenses I've set up around us to keep him from seeing or perceiving in any way what we're both really doing together. I've also got a few plans I want to go over you with regards to Lysandre and I think for now we need to keep him from suspecting the truth; if you were to say, keep up appearances and be capable of distracting me as you said you would... we could make it look like you're still in cahoots with Team Flare and you could essentially play the role of double agent, supplying Lysandre with what appears to be valuable Intel and resources and the like while secretly keeping me up to speed on everything he does. It is not without risk Amber, and I know I'm asking you to do a lot by staying with that man for any longer than strictly necessary; but if you can find it in yourself to do this, I'd be really grateful for the intelligence gathering," Ash suggested to her hopefully as Amber thought his plans over and realized she'd been faking loyalty to Lysandre for years now anyways. A few more months or so wouldn't hurt, besides it would give her the opportunity to thank Ash some for being so willing to help her.

"I'll do it," Amber replied without so much as hesitating as Ash flashed her his trademarked toothy grin, grateful beyond measure for her willingness to take part in this double-agent role he was assigning her. "But, I have one condition Ash," Amber added suddenly as Ash nodded understandingly. "Name it," he replied quickly as Amber smiled dazzlingly at his apparent willingness to do anything for her. "The second Lysandre discovers me and is out for my blood; I want you to be there to help me escape. I'm not sure I'm confident enough in my own abilities to fight him off on my own," Amber admitted shamefully as Ash chuckled in a kind manner and pulled her into a quick hug. "I promise Amber, that monster will never touch you or hurt you again; and the second he asks you to do anything you find truly deplorable you get yourself out and come find me. I'll more than happily take you under my wing as it were, and while I'm at it I'll create an unbreakable telepathic bond between us to make communication between us possible even across infinite distances in space and time, I'll also do everything I can to render the bond untraceable by any means; I do the same thing with all of my Pokémon in order to make team coordination and all other communications effortless," Ash reassuringly stated as Amber's eyes watered up. She was immensely touched by how far Ash was willing to go to make her feel safe even when she was back with Lysandre and Team Flare. Ash was surprised when she pulled away from his hug, smiled sweetly, and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

When she pulled away again, Ash stood there in complete paralysis as his entire body blushed deep red and an almighty blaze burned through his entire body which had him using his powers on pure instinct to make the entire vicinity temporarily flawlessly indestructible; lest he burn the whole place down. His entire body started vibrating at near infinite speeds and caused his entire body to ionize with violet colored lightning that had the entire building flickering slightly and set the air throbbing with power. Amber giggled at his reaction and took the card key from his trembling hands and feeling a small static shock shoot through her. She slid the card through the slot in the door and winked at him as she left the door somewhat ajar; then quickly disappeared inside. She figured she should give Ash time to calm down a little before firing him up some more, pleasantly surprised by how impossibly excited her simple display of affection had gotten him. Recovering from the sudden heat Amber's chaste kiss distilled in him, Ash's cells exited their state of boundless excitement as he mindlessly followed her inside and closed the door behind him with a quiet snap while locking it both with the lock and his powers.

As he reinforced his omni-locks and other impenetrable defenses around himself and Amber, he quickly extended those defenses to the entirety of their shared room in the PC and found Amber sitting on the couch with the TV on in front of her. He felt the heat returning with a vengeance when he saw her feet sticking up in the air over the top of the couch, slowly sliding off her sandals and exposing her nimble feet with red painted nails to him. Ash knew what she was doing and while he normally wasn't a man with a feet fetish; he found hers to be particularly alluring as she put them back down on the couch and silently willed him over onto the couch beside her. With the perfect movie in mind to further her education on the Omega Omnisphere and with the girl making room for him on the couch, Ash took his seat on the far left of the couch; unprepared for when she started sliding her legs across his lap and rested them there, essentially using him as a leg rest while she leaned her head back on the couch arm and he got a good look at her exposed mid-drift and her pale, flat, smooth belly with the sexiest belly button he'd ever seen.

Ash blushed at the thoughts going through his head, he'd known right from the get go that Amber was a good-looking girl but this was ridiculous. He silently willed himself to keep to his goal and kept the thought of Serena in his mind; but secretly his brain entertained the idea of pursuing a possible relationship with both of them in the near future. He'd have to get an idea of how territorial Serena was of him as her boyfriend first and of course he had to progress to that point with her again; after all the years he'd been keeping her memory alive she was the one he wanted to get it right with. He didn't normally consider himself to be a practitioner of polyamory, but the idea of dating both Serena and Amber held a very strong appeal to him for reasons he couldn't quite put a finger on. Despite the fun idea of it all, he could never condone a non-monogamous relationship with _anyone_ unless all people in said relationship were truly in agreement of the arrangement and unless the male in that relationship wasn't some fucking hypocrite who had multiple wives yet didn't let any of those wives get with another man. Fair and equal freedom of choice for all people entangled in that sort of relationship was a must, otherwise Ash just couldn't support such a decision; maybe it was the way his mother raised him or his own strong sense of morality. Maybe it was the fact that he couldn't stand hypocrisy; but no matter his reasons he was going to find Serena first and foremost before he did anything else. Ash found himself wanting to be the best he could be, all for his straw-hat-girl; but this new player and fellow Omega Omnisphere Champion was somehow managing to split his focus and one-tracked-heart somewhat. Her offer earlier to date him and what not if things didn't work out with Serena reiterated itself through his mind repeatedly; and he struggled with the effort it took to not pop a massive boner as Amber's bare legs laid casually across his lap and crotch and she smirked at him slightly as he turned to gaze at her with a questioning glance. There was no doubt in his mind that she knew exactly what she was doing to him, or that she would do absolutely anything he secretly wanted her to do to him the moment he asked; all because he was nice enough to help her in her time of need.

Maybe he was a moron for not accepting thanks from her the way his second head and endless libido wanted him to; but he loved Serena and was going to stay true to her no matter how long it took for him to see her again. Something at the back of his mind told him it wouldn't be too much longer now; he'd see Serena again soon, now all he had to do was resist this seductive temptress trying no so subtly to draw him in. He was surprised for a second when he realized how hard she was making it and focused his telekinetic powers on withdrawing the DVD from his backpack and floating the CD over to the player outside of its case. As the trailers started and Amber continued testing his resolve with the occasional gyration of his legs over his crotch, Ash groaned inwardly at her advances as he struggled to keep Serena in mind but also didn't have the heart to remove Amber from off of him. Truly this had to be the biggest dilemma he'd found himself in in a long time. He wished Amber had stopped there, but apparently she was determined; and within moments Pokémon the First Movie was the last thing on his mind.

XXXXX

Bonnie liked to think she was pretty mature and observant for a girl of only 9 years old, having seen the chemistry between Lexie and Ash and wondering to herself if they were having a date or something. She doubted it though, Ash seemed like the kind of guy to take things slow and forge a bond to last a lifetime rather than engage in some kind of one-night-stand with a girl he barely knew. Bonnie's dimwitted brother was off doing his own thing, either tinkering with some device that could someday change the world or doing his best to keep her on a short leash. So now she was out in the greenhouse, having grown bored with just watching Froakie recover and deciding to ask Sycamore if she could go see the new Pokémon; something the professor had been all too eager to oblige. She grew quickly annoyed when her brother reminded her for the umpteenth time not to pester said Pokémon too much.

She grumbled under her breath in irritation while playing with some Helioptile and Oddish in the greenhouse, Sycamore supervising her partially due to his being responsible for them as the adult here; but also because he knew her brother tended to fret about her, something which annoyed her to no end. After all she gone through trying to help her brother find a forever girl to keep him happy while she was off on her own journey; so she wouldn't have to worry about him while she was gone, and he still didn't think she was grown up enough to take care of herself! Unbelievable, that's all there was to it, she had watched their mother die with her own eyes, and had taken up the responsibility of caring for her brother in her mother's stead; but he still didn't think she was grown up enough. She supposed she should have been somewhat happy that she still had someone living to worry about her, and she couldn't even really talk to her father Meyer about it because he was even more traumatized by their mom's death than she had been. Late at night when she would get up to go to the bathroom she could sometimes hear him crying when he thought nobody else was looking or listening, and she prayed to Arceus her family never had to go through something like that again; crying herself to sleep that night and every other she had noticed her father's tears.

If Bonnie could claim to hate anything or anyone in her short life, it was Team Flare; and learning that they were once again active was almost more than she could stand. As if one reign of terror wasn't bad enough, but now she had to look over her own shoulders; just as she was sure her parents had done back in their youth. She thought the world was finished with Team Flare, but apparently Team Flare wasn't finished with the world. She thought she was shed of them now since that admin killed her mother and after confirming that the rest of their targets were MIA, he left to go and find them. His petty personal vendetta was exacted on her mother; all for the sake of avenging their fallen leader and their wounded pride. Bonnie had sworn a vow long ago to train her ass into the ground and strengthen herself and her Pokémon beyond measure when she became a trainer; when she did she planned on hunting that monster down and _ending_ him.

She hated them, she hated them with every fibre of her being. And should she ever meet that bald headed, white coat wearing beast who dared to take her mother from her... she knew her dark thoughts and dreams of making him suffer for what he had done would become more than just a fantasy; her dark thoughts partially to blame for her shocking maturity for her age. She was going to make damn sure she wasn't powerless like that ever again, and she was going to take everything from him. She was going to train herself as hard as she trained her own Pokémon, and who better to train her than somebody as powerful as Ash. She knew she was going to have to work really hard if she wanted to get really strong really fast, and a nine year old's prepubescent body wouldn't help with gaining any sort of muscle strength, but she knew she would need to ask Ash about possibly starting her on some form of training sooner rather than later. She knew that with his help she could become so much stronger than she was now; both she and Clemont could become stronger and never ever feel powerless to help their loved ones like that again. It was a lot to ask of Ash she was sure, especially given all that he dealt with already; but she also knew that he was the kind of person who always took time out of his busy schedule to help someone in need. His recent rescuing of Froakie and his startling display of super powers during his fight against his mind controlled Raichu being good indicators of that. She just wasn't sure if he'd be on board with the whole idea of her seeking vengeance for her mother's untimely death; she had a feeling his moral compass would be a major hurdle to her plans but she also knew she had to do this.

She knew Ash was like some kind of superhero, having never met a person who could do all the things a Pokémon; never mind a super tough Pokémon, could do. It was weird but his abilities didn't freak her out as much as they should have; in fact she found that what he could do and what he was willing to do to protect his loved ones made her feel like she was completely safe, if only for a little while. She had tried so hard not to be a kid and just grow up fast, but Ash's abilities had turned her entire life into some kind of a fantasy come true that awakened the part of her that was still a 9 year old girl; a part of her that just naturally accepted the impossible as possible. No human had ever possessed abilities like Ash's before and yet here he was, some kind of superman or something. It was the most fantastical experience she'd ever encountered in all her 9 years, and she didn't want it to stop, not yet. Ash was the most powerful trainer and person she had ever seen and if she could do even a small fraction of what he could do, then Team Flare's admin himself would be quaking in his boots she reckoned. She was going to put the fear of Arceus into that man, everything he did to her mother she was going to inflict upon him tenfold.

"Aw, you're so cute," Bonnie gushed excitedly, the cuteness of all Pokémon species being the one childlike quality she still retained; along with her hyper activity and excitable nature she conceded. But still, her childhood had been bereft of its childlike qualities due to the horrible traumatic event that occurred when she was only four years old and Clement was 9. Five years had already passed since the incident yet the memory of the Admin raping her mom and cutting her throat in front of her terrified, powerless eyes was still as fresh in her memory as ever. Her father had been occupied by the grunts at the time and was unable to assist as her mom hid her and Clemont in her bedroom closet and told them not to make a sound no matter what happened.

The Oddish cooed and leaned into her touch as she pet it gently, evidently extremely friendly as Sycamore chuckled at her enthusiasm. He knew full well that Bonnie didn't get many opportunities to just be a kid and wanted her to enjoy her youth for as long as she could; because before long it would cease and he didn't want that for her, for her to take this sort of thing for granted. "You know Bonnie, we've got a lot more Pokémon here than just the ones in the greenhouse. If you like I could show you some of the veteran, level 100 Pokémon I caught and trained back when I was young, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Sycamore suggested as Bonnie smiled up at him.

"That would be wonderful, thank you so much professor," Bonnie whispered, her previous annoyance with her brother now forgotten as she got up to follow the professor back in his lab. She'd spent much of her life coming to this lab and playing with the Pokémon here but she'd nver actually met Sycamore's own private collection of Pokémon. She knew that his Garchomp was a pretty impressive level 100 and had been one of his best sweepers back in the day, but she also heard he had a Protean Greninja, Magician Delphox, Bulletproof Chesnaught, Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur and had been an elite level trainer as well as best friends with both Lysandre and Diantha growing up. All of them had gone their separate ways of course and everybody knew what happened to Lysandre. He had to have died, Team Flare must have had a new leader; there was no way any human could have survived being buried alive under thousands of tons of rock and rubble, well no human except Ash she supposed. But then a terrifying idea began to take root inside her mind. What if Lysandre had abilities similar to Ash, and what if he activated them just after Red left him for dead and managed to escape unscathed? The implications of this horrifying realization were absolutely dreadful to contemplate, yet Bonnie couldn't shake the morbid thoughts from her head as she and Sycamore heard some commotion back in the main corridor of his lab, a sound that sounded like a very angry Froakie and a very loud Garchomp.

They quickly ran to the source of the commotion, not caring what was going on and hoping beyond hope it wasn't what Bonnie feared it was. But sure enough as they got inside and ran to investigate, her fears came to pass as once again she found herself face to face with the three grunts of Team Flare, and Ash nowhere in sight to protect them this time. The one in the middle pointed at Garchomp and Sycamore as he gave off a black aura of death similar to the one Ash himself was giving off, only this one was... far more evil and turned Bonnie's blood to ice. When he spoke, his voice had an echo to it, like there were two entities speaking through him instead of one, and the second one felt unspeakably old, powerful, and so evil it turned the air around them frigid. There was a dark force more terrifying than any mortal man could ever be, pulsing in the air around them. " _ **Greetings and salutations Sycamore, Bonnie, Clemont, Froakie, Garchomp, and Sophie... I am Omninoir, and I'm here to liberate all your Pokémon here from you... you pathetic mortals, now hand them over to me willingly and your deaths won't be nearly as painful!**_ "


	4. Chapter Three: Fathomless Forces, Terrible Truths, and Joyous Reunions: Part 1

Chapter Three: Fathomless Forces, Terrible Truths, and Joyous Reunions: Part 1

_Previously:_

They quickly ran to the source of the commotion, not caring what was going on and hoping beyond hope it wasn't what Bonnie feared it was. But sure enough as they got inside and ran to investigate, her fears came to pass as once again she found herself face to face with the three grunts of Team Flare, and Ash nowhere in sight to protect them this time. The one in the middle pointed at Garchomp and Sycamore as he gave off a black aura of death similar to the one Ash himself was giving off, only this one was... far more evil and turned Bonnie's blood to ice. When he spoke, his voice had an echo to it, like there were two entities speaking through him instead of one, and the second one felt unspeakably old, powerful, and so evil it turned the air around them frigid. There was a dark force more terrifying than any mortal man could ever be, pulsing in the air around them. " _ **Greetings and salutations Sycamore, Bonnie, Clemont, Froakie, Garchomp, and Sophie... I am Omninoir, and I'm here to liberate all of your Pokémon here from you... you pathetic mortals, now hand them over to me willingly and your deaths won't be nearly as painful!**_ "

XXXXX

The absolute bone chilling darkness she felt this thing radiate was the most terrifying experience Bonnie had ever been forced to endure; which was saying a lot because she had watched a sick, twisted psycho rape her mother before killing her, with her being powerless to do anything about it because she had been so small and young. Her world of childhood and innocence had been forever shattered that day, but this was infinitely worse; this being was not only reminding her of her own worst experiences but everyone else's on top of it.

She could sense almost immediately that it was the epitome of darkness and the essence of all negative emotions and thoughts throughout the entire universe, maybe even beyond the universe as well. She could also sense she wasn't the only one who felt this way, for all of them, Clement, Sycamore, Sophie, and the two Pokémon here with them, including Froakie who had just woken up a few seconds ago feeling worse for wear, had seen this thing for what it was, and yet she couldn't bring herself to believe that such an evil creature could possibly exist.

She supposed that cruel humans were one thing, and were oftentimes more terrifying than any supernatural monsters could be, and somehow knowing what they were dealing with right now could do things no mere mortal could made it seem more clean, made it seem less... real. Yet at the same time, she could feel the ungodly, otherworldly powers this thing literally radiated just with its mere presence, and felt more afraid of it than she had ever been of any man ever before. This thing was a wraith, a literal phantasm in the minds of its opponents, a supernatural terror, and for some reason that scared her far worse than Team Flare alone could ever do. They couldn't even see this thing to fight it and without Ash here to help them, they had no supernatural means of their own to combat this thing.

Sycamore stepped forward, bravely standing between them and the three demonized humans; who were merely helpless puppets of this greater power, and Bonnie felt petrified by her fear for the man as he addressed this Omninoir, his voice barely above a whisper as all-consuming terror temporarily lessened his capability to speak. "Who or what the hell do you think you are to just waltz in here like you own the place and just expect us to comply? I don't care how powerful you think you are, or if you're a Pokémon or not, if you think we're just going to keel over and let you do whatever the hell you wish to our precious partners, then you've got another thing coming," he managed courageously, and Bonnie had to admit she was thoroughly impressed by the young professor's bravado as a deep, mirthless chortle emanated from the entity who spoke through the three possessed mediators between light and shadow, between tiny specks of light and an endless sea of shadows.

' _ **It's cute how you think you actually have a choice in the matter human; I wasn't merely making a demand... You see I have plans for the Pokémon of this world. As to your first statement, I am evil in its purest, most omnipotent form, the deepest essence of ultimate darkness and the one true check against the otherwise unparalleled powers of the Pokémon universe's most omnipotent gods. I'm the antithesis of Arceus himself if you will, but more to the point, I am the faceless figure behind every mask of legend and the stuff of you and every other living being's worst nightmare. I am entropy on a grand scale, I am infinite death, destruction, and conquest; I am Omninoir, and I am the Anti-God of the Pokémon world**_ ,' the voice boosted in a voice that permeated every sector and dark secluded corner of their minds, their hearts, and resonated through their neural pathways, the words he spoke carrying so much weight and so much power that none of them could even breathe, let alone resist whatever abilities he had that could force them to do as he willed. Bonnie could feel her knees beginning to buckle, sensing that this Omninoir could crush them all in an instant with just a simple thought if he wished, but he wanted to have fun with them first.

'Arceus, _I really wish Ash was here, we're dealing with some kind of dark god and if anyone can beat it it's him,_ ' Bonnie inwardly prayed, a small flicker of hope fanning out nicely inside her chest but squashed just as quickly when her internal hurricane of thoughts caused Omninoir to chuckle. ' _ **Don't you fret about that my child, Ash Ketchum will be here soon; in fact I'm counting on it!**_ ' he telepathed to her and her alone. The small bit of hope faded almost immediately as Bonnie found herself willing Ash to come find them; unable to believe how inconveniently timed Lexie's taking him out for a night on the town was right now and desperately pleading with whatever gods might be listening that whatever Omninoir was planning to do it didn't involve them ending up dead. She honestly had no inkling as to what she was going to do and felt completely powerless to do anything as this Anti-God being merely swam around them in a mass of shadows. The entirety of planet earth had gone dark as they all gave out a unified cry for a miracle, all of them; Sycamore, Bonnie, Clement, Sophie, Garchomp, and Froakie, absolutely paralyzed by fear and Omninoir laughing at their misfortune as the massive swirls of darkness enveloped all of them. Garchomp's yellow eyes suddenly turned pure red, and a shadowy aura enveloped it as everyone stood shell shocked at what was taking place.

The mach Pokémon was changing size and shape, undergoing a darker, malevolent version of mega evolution that rewrote her entire being on a molecular level. Bonnie and the others watched with horrified fascination as a Garchomp like none they'd ever seen towered over them at past ten feet; her fins elongated and sharp, her form resembling a cross between a shark and a praying mantis. She was far larger than any Garchomp they'd ever seen, mega evolved or otherwise.

' _ **Ah, that's better, Garchomp's transformation into a god with Primal Palkia's powers is now complete; I am now in possession of a form worthy of me. So come at me Ash Ketchum, come at me with everything you have because when this day is through; you'll lie dead at my feet and I'll reign supreme over the entire Omega Omnisphere, as its Omniarch and King, its Lord Almighty! My conquest of this world will be marked by your defeat and your head will be on a pike in my throne room. Mark my words Chosen Champion, prophecy or not, I will not allow you to join forces with the other two. After I've killed Serena back in Aquacorde town with her friends; our fight will take place with Lumiose city as the field of combat. I am so eagerly anticipating seeing your fall from grace Arceus; I will respect your rules of engagement by limiting my power over totality. It's not like I have a choice no thanks to the omnipotence paradox, but even still; that is only a temporary setback and I've got more than enough time to figure out a way to purge Ash 1 Million's existence from the Omega Omnisphere and the Omnipotence Nexus**_ ,' Omninoir proclaimed with complete confidence.

He carefully planned ten more moves ahead in his ongoing game of chess with the Alpha Pokémon , not believing for a second that Ash could have learned something he didn't already know nor had some moves up his arsenal he couldn't predict within a year; but still not taking any chances or messing around. Even if he failed this day to kill so much as one of the Chosen Champions, today's failure was tomorrow's success; and he would not be damned to an eternity of fighting other omnipotent beings. No, he had a contingency in place; and one way or another this war would end with his absolute rule...

XXXXX

The movie Ash had chosen from his private collection inside his backpack was ending just as Amber stared at the end credits in utter fascination. "So this Pokémon the First Movie; it's a movie you managed to obtain from an alternate world where our universe is considered purely fictional..." she promptly stated for clarification as Ash nodded with a smirk. He felt somewhat bad when Amber started crying at the part where he was turned to stone and as the credits rolled she turned to face him; her eyes positively brimming with questions. "Did it really happen like that," she wondered as Ash shook his head.

"Not quite, our world is an alternate version of the Pokémon world depicted in that animated movie; the mechanics in this Anime are vastly different than the ones our world abides by. For starters even the Mewtwo and the Mew in that movie, although powerful, would be capable of becoming omnipotent or very nearly so in our world and I always felt like Mew was so underrated in the games there and not done the proper justice their species deserves; but ultimately yeah. I did get turned to stone and I nearly died; plus a lot of what happened in that movie happened here but only on a much more... colossal scale. Mewtwo was even more formidable in our universe than he was depicted as in that movie, but because of that he was also a lot more dangerous," Ash explained as Amber nodded understandingly.

"So the reality surpasses the expectations people have in that world," she asked as Ash chuckled. "Not always, sometimes the reality of the Omega Omnisphere is not as grandiose in certain aspects as people tend to believe; sometimes humanity's expectations of worlds like ours are too high and then they end up being bitterly disappointed. Ultimately though that's true in any case, regardless of the world or situation; we all have expectations, hopes, and dreams and these common interests connect us all regardless of who we are or... where we're from," Ash explained in a rather poetic tone as Amber couldn't help beaming at him.

"So the Mewtwo you yourself encountered, did you capture him later on and was he really an enhanced replica of Mew; I thought Mew were infinitely powerful when fully trained and I wasn't aware it was impossible to improve upon perfection," Amber continued her barrage of questions as Ash felt pleased beyond measure to finally have someone in his confidences; the concern they both felt for Amber's situation with Lysandre was at the back of their minds for now, and Ash was just so palpably content to have someone in his life who knew absolutely _everything_ about him. "I did befriend him yes, in fact he's on my current roster if you want to say hi later on. But no, Mewtwo being an enhanced clone of Mew was simply the flawed and frankly arrogant presumptions of mad scientists trying to play God; he is very powerful though and of a battle oriented mindset. Plus he can even mega evolve which is something not even Mew can do naturally and without tweaking their physiological attributes; though I must admit I'm kind of disappointed with the battle abilities of his mega evolved forms. His Insomnia ability in his Mega Y form is useful I guess, especially against Pokémon like Tobias's Darkrai who like to spam Dark Void to put his opponents to sleep; but aside from that there is no viable use for him to mega evolve when at level infinity," Ash continued answering her questions in the same proficient manner as she smiled at his intelligence. Something occurred to her out of the blue, questions she'd been wondering about for years that she realized Ash's vast knowledge base might be able to answer for her. They weren't particularly crucial matters, but they were questions she always wondered the answer to just because there was no definite answers.

"Okay so, just for curiosity's sake, why are Pokémon like Charizard and your Mewtwo able to mega evolve in more than one way; while other Pokémon are not," she found herself wondering as Ash shrugged; much to her surprise. "It could be any number of reasons actually; natural selection, convergent mega evolutionary traits, and the like. I think Charizard mega evolves as such because Mega Charizard X capitalizes on Charizard's potential as a dragon type Pokémon whereas Mega Charizard Y is merely a natural power boost and a change in abilities AKA Drought. I'm not sure about Mewtwo though, maybe it's because as a clone of Mew and his genetic composition he simply has so much more evolutionary potential than other Pokémon and many different ways in which he can mega evolve as a result. That would explain why Mega Mewtwo X is obscenely naturally powerful physically whereas in his Y Mega form his special powers ascend through the roof. That said both of his mega evolved forms are pretty much useless when he reaches his infinite limits which are the only limits one cannot break; to do so would be unimaginably paradoxical and puts a dangerous strain on the fabric of reality. Um, no offense Mewtwo," Ash said with a placating gesture at the end of his statement as said legendary sent him a telepathic smirk of acceptance that said he understood.

He to was quite disappointed with how his mega evolved forms had turned out; but being in the UV meant that maybe it would be possible for him to create his _own_ custom made mega evolved form or something similar. He also knew that if he asked Ash to use his powers to create said custom made form for him he'd oblige in an instant. But for now he was content with his power as it was and with the Mew he fought on New Island having become his number 1 mate and his memories of Ambertwo being restored along with his faith in the miracle of life; he felt a real sense of peace, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. It also didn't hurt that Giovanni and all of Team Rocket were permanently disbanded and no longer on his trail; not that he expected them to come after him again with Ash as his trainer. Even if they did for whatever reason Mewtwo would be happy to put them in their place; he was content with everything for the first time in his entire life and nobody would or ever could take that away from him, not at this point.

Amber nodded in understanding once again as Ash wondered to himself whether or not she'd feel up to another movie but then decided on a whim to get to know her a little better. "So what about you," he asked, causing Amber to blush somewhat self-consciously. "What about me, I mean; there isn't really too many aspects of my life you'd find appealing. I mean there are many things I've done for Team Flare I'm not proud of and some that just downright sicken me, and I doubt those are the kinds of thing you want to know about me... especially when those actions do not reflect the kind of person I am," she rambled shyly while tripping over her words and stammering; surprised by how easy it was for Ash to make her feel flustered. Her usual persona of self-confidence and flirtatiousness had been effectively shattered; and she'd been unable to seduce him or dissuade him from this mystery girl of his even remotely. She wanted to convey her gratitude to him far more than he was allowing her at the moment; but maybe it would take opening up to him and allowing him to get a feel for the kind of person she was if she wanted to get inside his pants like she kept fantasizing about. Most guys wouldn't complain if she suddenly asked to fuck them senseless; but Ash was one of those guys you didn't just have a one-night-stand with, he was the kind of once-in-a-lifetime lover you could spend the rest of your life with in pure bliss. She would've asked herself if he was worth all this effort she was putting in just to get to second base with him; but already had her answer when she thought about how willing he was to help someone he barely even knew, and how far he'd go to help said stranger. She had a feeling if she kept asking him with an increasingly imploring tone he'd do absolutely anything for her, including fuck her; but she wasn't going to sink that low when he's been so genuinely good to her and found herself willing to go above and beyond where she would have gone with anyone else. She knew that the feeling was mutual, that in the few hours they'd gotten to know each other; she'd grown to care for him to the point that she'd do anything for him as readily as he would for her.

"Well, I've already told you quite a bit about who I am and what I can do but I know very little about you. What do you like to do, who are the other members of your Pokémon team, what do you like to do outside of Pokémon battling to pass the time; what are your hobbies, goals, and dreams? I want to know as much about you as I can before we carry out some of the plans we've devised for your Lysandre problem," Ash smiled charmingly at her as Amber's blush only deepened and she continued to grow more smitten with the boy. At this point she was starting to accept the possibility that she could be starting to fall for him. She wasn't one to put too much stock in the steps-and-stages system nor did she believe feelings were something one could develop within a lengthy enough time frame; you could like someone in that way within a day or after a year, it didn't make any damn difference. Best friends often took a long time to develop romantic feelings for each other, that is if they developed any at all; but she also knew feelings and emotions weren't something that ran on a clock. That wasn't to say friendships didn't ignite into a slow burning passion at all but Amber also knew that feelings could change and deepen within any time frame and there wasn't a set amount of time needed to develop those feelings.

"Well, I always managed to catch perfect Pokémon on the first try; I guess that's an Omega Omnisphere Champion trait or something huh. I haven't really traveled much outside of Kalos although I have taken trips to Kanto and a couple of other places. So far I have 12 level infinity Pokémon altogether; including the Legendary Xerneas and Yveltal both of whom can tap into the powers of Primal Reversion, Victini for my third and last legendary thus far, Sylveon as my starter, Mega Gengar, Mega Ampharos, Mega Aggron, Rhyperior, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Salamence, Cinccino, and Hariyama," Lexie listed causing Ash to whistle appreciatively. "Wow, Amber, that's an absolutely fantastic team, and great type diversity to boot. You could make it really far as a competitive Pokémon battler once you get out from under Lysandre's thumb. Also, not to pry or anything, and the last thing I want is to bring up bad memories for you; but do you think you can find it in yourself to walk me through what lead to your parents' deaths," Ash asked in a careful, even tone, and Amber could see the absolute compassion in his eyes. She knew he would eventually want to know what transpired that awful night ever since she first told him of her childhood tragedy, and maybe telling him what happened would help her; maybe he'd have answers about the murderer that she sadly lacked. Realizing she could at least count on him to lend her a listening ear and comforting moral support Amber sighed heavily, her body wrenching with uncontrollable sobs as she somehow managed to speak through it.

"My parents were... murdered in a fire burned down my home; their bodies were... burned beyond any recognition. I was fortunate because the fire had no effect on me or my Sylveon. That was no natural fire; it was a deep, deep purple and there was a... monster silhouetted in the fire. To this day I still can't wrap my head around what I had seen that night, it's still as hard for me to remember now as it ever was. I've spent my entire life being terrified of whatever that monster was and just recently started being able to cope with my phobia of fire. I was constantly reminded that if Lysandre hadn't shown up exactly when he did I would've eventually succumbed to the fire; but later I realized his timing was just a little too good, and my mind started coming up with all these different and equally horrifying conspiracy theories," Amber somehow managed to tell him all this in a series of shaking breaths, her voice choked up with emotions as she inhaled deeply. Ash had to exert nearly all of his infinite will not to burst into tears in response to hearing that truly heart wrenching tale.

To go through such a traumatic experience at such a young age, Ash could tell that Amber was never the same after that happened and would probably never be whole again. His heart went out to her and he suddenly found himself holding her in his arms as she sobbed her heart out; tears soaking his shirt as he provided as much comfort as he could. ' _If I ever find the monster that did this to her..._ ' Ash inwardly hissed with more vengeful hatred than he could remember feeling in a long time, his mind imagining all the terrible things he could do to the creature or cretin that took Amber's family from her. Ash wasn't normally one to indulge such thoughts and feelings and he had some suspicions about what or who this monster might have been; but right now he was too busy providing whatever meager comfort to Amber he could to give his mental suspects list much attention.

"I'm so sorry Amber, the worst part about all this for me personally is I have the power to resurrect the dead but I can't even use it, not really anyways. There is a balance for every duality in the Omega Omnisphere, including the duality of life and death; unrestricted resurrection abilities are not something I want to abuse, otherwise I'd create new lives for your parents the instant I learned all this," Ash explained to her as Amber smiled understandingly, touched that Ash would even consider playing God to such a degree for her. "Ash, just because you have all that power doesn't give you the right to use it any way you please; besides, something tells me my parents are at peace by now anyways," she admitted understandingly as Ash's chest started rumbling with the force of his chuckles. "Maintaining the balance over life and death is part of my responsibility Amber, and upsetting that balance for any reasons... the resulting paradoxes and ruptures in the divide between the lands of the living and the dead would be catastrophic. Try and imagine if the Omega Omnisphere was suddenly overrun with the spirits of the dearly departed, resurrect one and many others could follow that one soul through the rift in the Omni Nether-Sphere or whatever you want to call it, and not all of the hitchhiking souls are necessarily going to be good ones. I'd take that risk but only in the most dire circumstances or if you, me, or anybody else I cared about wanted it badly enough to not give a damn about paradoxes or literally unleashing hell on Totality," Ash admitted shamefully, like he was confessing to some horrible sin by admitting he would be willing to go to such lengths for the people he loved. Amber though, could only see his admission as making him all the more human... not to mention desirable in her eyes.

"Ash that was... the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, and you may think of your willingness to risk everything for the people you love as something horribly selfish; perhaps it is a good thing that you do considering who and what you are. But to me, all it does is make me see you as even more human than you already were... it also may have enhanced the appeal you have to me," Amber winked at him rather suggestively once she recovered from her crying session and pulled away from him only slightly; her eyes red and puffy and her hair disheveled from nuzzling her face in his chest but to Ash she still looked as beautiful as ever. He was suddenly very aware of their close proximity and the fact that they had shared a rather emotionally intimate moment together as he smiled kindly at her, inviting her back in as she buried herself in his everything and they seemed to meld into one being. They were sitting together on the couch with Amber in Ash's lap and their bodies lined up to each other front-to-front, and Ash willed his physical reactions back before certain body parts of his took notice of Amber's closeness to his reproductive organs or her d-cup bust pressing against his chest. Her arms were draped casually over his shoulders and her face was buried in the crook of his neck; her warm breath on his nape combined with everything else causing his breathing to become erratic and every cell in his body to feel like they were going to spontaneously combust.

Amber giggled slightly, as though she could sense his struggle to stay in control. She couldn't help herself and decided to say something about it. "Man Ash, you must be considered legendary for your control; I mean, not to sound conceited, but most guys would be screwing my brains out well before the point we're at right now," she teasingly commented. Ash adjusted his sitting position slightly to distract himself from his growing arousal as he managed to form a coherent response... somehow. "Well considering the strength that I wield I kind of have to be," he admitted half jokingly, half seriously. Amber snickered in a way that British high society members of propriety and proper manners would most definitely not approve of. "I don't even know how you're doing it, it's taking everything I have right now not to fuck you with everything I have right now; and it's only because it seems to be what you want. I know I probably can't break your ' _legendary control_ ' tonight but can you at least tell me who this mystery girl of yours is or give me a few minutes of privacy so I can take some of the edge off by myself," Amber requested of him pleadingly as Ash snickered similarly to how she did mere seconds ago. "You can go relieve yourself in the bathroom or if you're feeling extra frisky you can do it right in front of me. Who knows, you might even break my rock-hard resolve that way," Ash replied with uncharacteristic lasciviousness. "Wow I'm impressed Ash, that was a surprisingly lewd comment," Amber guffawed, laughter alight in her gorgeous golden eyes, a lecherous grin on her face.

"Yes well, I may be a member of the Omnipotence Nexus and a god among Pokémon masters throughout eternal realities, but I'm still a guy Amber. A guy who's libido and sex drive as as infinite enhanced as all his other physiological attributes, traits, and limitations I might add," Ash admitted to her as she stared at him in confusion. "Isn't that one of those situations where one's strength becomes their very weakness; I mean any woman who is able to bring you to completion would have absolute power and control over you wouldn't they? I feel like if somebody were able to make me experience _that_ much sexual pleasure I'd be their slave forever," Amber pointed out while thinking out loud as Ash nodded. "Under normal conditions yes that is all true; my pleasure receptors are all infinitely sensitive but luckily my psycho-omnipotent mind is designed to handle all of that sensual input coming and going through my entire nervous system. I can also freely customize and control my own abilities without limit and I have taken certain measures to ensure my libido instantly limits itself the moment someone tries to take advantage of it and myself; and this is assuming of course that anyone ever could take advantage of me but even an Omega Omnisphere Champion can never be too careful Amber," Ash explained to her as she seemed accepting of his answer.

"I don't want you to think I'm only staying with you for my own safety; I did have lots of fun tonight Ash. The most fun I've had in a long time actually and I guess... I sorta want you all to myself and maybe that makes me selfish; but I don't think I'm ever going to find a better match for me," Amber whispered with surprising passion while Ash swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. "I'm flattered Amber, truly I am, but I..." Ash paused as his omni senses and infinite perception abilities went into death-con 1 alert mode; alerting him of something terrible taking place at Sycamore's laboratory and an evil vibe permeating the very fabric of reality all around them. The whole city had been tinged multiple shades darker, almost as if someone had conjured tinted lenses over everybody's eyes; and the temperature suddenly plummeted. "Ash, what's happening," Amber asked quietly in a voice laden with fear. "No time to explain, we need to leave now... My friends are in grave danger and something big is going down at the Professor's Lab," Ash stated in a measured but cryptic tone. "Well then what are we waiting for let's go, and take me with you," Amber told him, her fear outweighed by the worry she felt for Bonnie, Clement, and Brock. She didn't know them very well and even less well than she knew Ash, but she had enjoyed the brief time she spent with them and liked the whole lot of them very much. Ash nodded briskly at her grim determination, and with that said his eyes glowed a brilliant gold and both he and Amber vanished in a whirl of Omniversal displacement. What both failed to notice however, was the man in a Blaziken mask keeping vigil over them by watching them through their window from the adjacent rooftop. As the masked vigilante of Lumiose City and his trusted partner Mega Blaziken watched the world around them become tinted several shades darker than normal; he heard a disembodied voice echoing in his mind.

' _Meyer, I need you to make sure my son and his friends are safe. The time has come for us to take this secret war we've been fighting with Omninoir to the next level; I'm rounding up the old gang as we speak but we'll need more time. If Omninoir succeeds today then all our years of training on the road and preparation for this upcoming conflict will have been for nothing, and the world and by extension the Omega Omnisphere itself will truly fall_ ,' the voice of Red the current World Champion and Leader of the United Regions and Pokémon Leagues of the World spoke. The Blaziken Mask nodded mutely without a single word as both he and his starter Pokémon took a running leap off the roof of the building they stood on and disappeared in the valley below. As he nimbly landed on the fire escape stairs and began climbing down them at a rapid pace, his mind raced with thoughts concerning what he had just bared witness to. The Ketchum's and the Yvonne's were practically extended family to him anyways; he'd been a part of Red's Kalos entourage much the same as his kids were friends with Red's extraordinary son. All they needed now was Serena Yvonne and they'd have the next generation of all three families united once again. These were dangerous and perilous times though and Meyer could only hope his children were ready to aid in the epic battles to come; with the whole of reality at stake things couldn't possibly get much worse than they already were. But Meyer knew the universe just loved to prove him wrong so he made a mad rush to Sycamore's laboratory where he knew his children needed his help right about now. Blaziken matched his speed and eventually breezed right past him as he sent him on ahead to assess the situation and see if Ash and his new and mysterious lady friend needed help.

XXXXX

' _What's happening to me,_ ' Serena repeated emphatically in her mind over and over again as her body continued vibrating at hyper-sonic speeds; her body flashing in a burst of violet colored light which her brain told her was her main energy signature, reflecting the color of love in the emotional spectrum of totality. ' _What the fuck, where is all this coming from, and what's up with my brain right now?! It feels like I just opened some all-seeing third eye or something!_ ' she demanded mentally, on the verge of a panic attack and hyperventilating as she noticed Shauna and even Calem had caught up to and were watching her distorted features with the same immeasurable fear that she was feeling.

"Serena!" Calem cried out, moving forward to try and help her but Serena shook her head frantically. " _Guys stay back, I'm okay for the moment but I don't think it is safe for you to get near me,_ " she shouted with intense urgency, as Shauna gaped at her current form in horror. "You are NOT okay Serena, Calem, dial the emergency number; _Serena needs help and she needs it right now, HURRY!"_ Shauna exclaimed with overwhelming concern, unable to believe what she was witnessing as Calem hurriedly complied and Serena's body just suddenly stopped vibrating on the spot. This immediately caused both of them to pause in their actions and stare at her with a sense of suspenseful dread; evidently wondering if whatever was ailing her would start acting up again but somewhat relieved when Serena stared at herself in perplexity and confusion, not to mention no small amount of fear.

Before she could stop herself, Serena collapsed on the spot as a wave of nausea and fatigue hit her with such sudden impact that she nearly passed out; Calem was by her side and checking her over in a split second. Shauna was right behind him as she waved off their questions of whether or not she was okay; managing to climb unsteadily into a comfortable sitting position in the dirt. She paused a moment to draw a few steady breaths, surprised by how quickly the nausea and weakness were passing and feeling stronger than she ever had before; some weird manic energy saturating her on an immeasurable level. "Serena... What the hell was _that_?!" Calem demanded rather harshly once he and Shauna seemed to realize that their friend wasn't hurt and looked even stronger somehow than she did prior to this weird turn of events.

"I don't know alright Calem?! I don't know any more than you guys do... but everything's felt completely different since I woke up this morning and I'm not sure it is something the emergency response people can even help me with, so just drop it okay?!" Serena half pleaded, half insisted, hoping they could just drop it and that they could look past whatever new weirdness their friend was exuding. She knew they were only worried about her, and she appreciated that, but the weird part was she somehow got the feeling their concern was unnecessary and that whatever was happening to her may turn out to be an eventual blessing in disguise. If for any reason she were to believe there were negative aspects to these freak of nature changes she was undergoing, she would immediately go get help; assuming there was a cure-all potion or something that could somehow fix whatever was wrong or whatever was changing so drastically inside of her.

' _It's strange, but I don't feel like this is simply a drastic change to the metaphysical aspects of my existence; but also my DNA, subatomic particles, and every fiber of my entire being. Everything that is ME is seemingly being rewritten on a boundaryless level, and despite my IQ skyrocketing and my understanding of this phenomena increasing; I'm still at a loss to give even so much as an estimated guess on what the end result of these changes will be. Hell, I'm still worried and I'm still freaking out a little; but my gut is telling me to just roll with the punches here and to have courage for the tough road ahead. Ash once told me that living my life in fear is not really living at all, and the biggest risk in life is never taking any. Regardless of what happens though; these changes may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Who knows maybe my initial prognosis is correct; maybe I am being rewritten on an absolute level and scale. But I'll never know beyond the shadow of a doubt unless I... for the time being; allow these changes to take place._

 _It's weird, I am afraid and yet at the same time; I'm super pumped. I know Calem and Shauna are worried out of their minds by now; but I'm sure whatever is happening is not something I could stop even if I wanted to anyways. Besides, I know I can handle it_ ,' Serena's mind continued to think on a level of intellectual savvy that was increasing infinitely. It was weird, she had never felt like any sort of genius before and now she finally understood how Ash felt; her respect for him rising even more than it already was previously at upon realizing how difficult it must have been for him to live among a species that... by his standards, were absolute dimwits in comparison.

Without a doubt Ash was the smartest person she'd ever known, not even a contest. And given the fact that he had scored an IQ infinitely higher than any other human throughout all of history; receiving an infinity symbol for an IQ instead of an actual number which the IQ testers said only exceptional psychic type Pokémon have ever done before, Serena could finally understand on some level how he must have felt to have been named the most brilliant man in all of time and still have to live among the multitudes of unremarkable, unintelligent, and unimaginative people he surrounded himself with every day. Hell, he even managed to befriend some of those people, Serena herself among them; truly that was a testament of his capacity for faith in humanity and his hope for a better future.

She rose up to her feet slowly, not wanting to overdo it in case any residual fatigue was still in her system; yet her energy levels were far higher than they normally were at this time of the day and she couldn't remember the last time she felt this good. Nevertheless, Calem and Shauna helped her up and supported her weight as she picked herself up off the ground; having not said anything after Serena basically told them off for being worried sick about her and making her feel like she should apologize. "I'm sorry I snapped at you guys, you were just worried about me and I appreciate that; but seriously I feel just fine now," Serena reassured them with a sweet, dazzling smile as Calem nodded with a grin and Shauna gave a shaky, watery chuckle. Just as Serena was acknowledging the fact that Shauna had been crying, Serena's internal radar started blaring out of control as an impending sense of doom settled over the entirety of Route 1 and the two adjacent towns on either side of it; the whole sky going as dark as an endless void above them and the mid-afternoon sun being swallowed by an overbearing presence so evil and so cold Serena felt the temperature suddenly drop to absolute zero all around them; the entire vicinity flash freezing and the ground breaking out in crystalline structures as everything around them froze on a subatomic level and yet somehow failed to affect Serena or her friends.

' _ **Oh you are more than fine Serena Yvonne, your omnipotent Apotheosis as an Omega Omnisphere Champion of Pokémon has already begun. It's a damn good thing I decided to accelerate my plans or you might have become too powerful for me to destroy as easily as I can now. Eternity may have been originally predetermined to stretch ahead of you my dear; but Omni-Dimensional Time and your destiny to influence the totality of existence on an infinite scale... is about to get a rewrite**_ ,' a disembodied voice proclaimed out of nowhere. Its mere presence enticed a level of fear into Serena, Shauna, and Calem that they had never known before as shit hit the fan completely out of the blue. Despite the -273 degree drop in temperature, neither Serena or her friends were the least bit bothered by the sheer cold; and had any of them been paying attention to her they would have noticed Serena's body subtly glowing with a faint golden light and extending a divine protection to her friends. The energy this entity gave off was far beyond anything even Serena with all her new intelligence could ever conceive; penetrating the very realm of complete absurdity like the omnipotent being she knew it was. Don't ask Serena how she knew this or sensed it; she just did, and quite frankly it was beginning to seriously freak her out.

" _Who are you... what do you want?!_ " Calem demanded once he remembered how to speak, he and Shauna hugging either side of Serena almost subconsciously as the bodiless entity laughed; a horrible, gleeful, and sadistic chortle that sent more chills through Serena's entire body than any amount of physical cold ever could. ' _ **Calem 1 Million, it is an honor to meet one of the future champions of the 1 millionth Pokémon universe. You have a destiny all on your own, one intertwined with the three Chosen Champions of totality here and yet standing on its own at the same time. But I kind of like having you three at a disadvantage; I know your names and yet you pathetic children know nothing about me. I can use this lack of awareness on your end to my advantage; now prepare to be cast into the eternal abyss from whence came all the darkness, malevolence, and evil in existence. Prepare yourself Serena, for when I am through with you; every aspect of your perpetuated existence will be purged from the entirety of the Omega Omnisphere. You will die and nobody will mourn; nobody except your beloved Ash since he too has been and will be immune to Omni-Chrono paradoxes and alterations; not that those abilities will stop me from erasing him from totality as well. They'll just delay the inevitable as I break him in both body and spirit; and Arceus only knows how he'll feel when he becomes aware of the fact that I've snuffed out the life of his beloved soul mate**_!' the supreme Entity hissed with impossible, inhuman levels of sadism and infinite evil.

Serena's eyes widened in pure terror and panic as her brain managed to process the implications and enormity of this otherworldly being's statement; the realization that this thing, this monster was here to not only kill them but erase them from the totality of existence dawning on her with a sense of absolute finality. "NO, you can't do this!" Shauna screamed as insidious laughter echoed all around them, pervading every sector of their souls, every corridor of their mind, and reverberating through their entire neural pathways until it penetrated their very cores; making them all want to crawl into a fetal position and cry with absolute and hopeless despair. ' _ **My dear sweet child, I am an otherworldly being that is the very essence of destructive omnipotence; I can do whatever the hell I please, omniversal laws and constants be damned**_!" he explained to her inanimately; speaking down to Shauna as if he were talking to an omninescient, infinitely oblivious Wailord of a girl, or some other Pokémon with selective omninescience due to their infinitely enhanced Oblivious ability; rendering them infinitely unaware, unknowing, and ignorant of all things in existence, including the laws of physics and other surprisingly epic shit.

Deciding that her seemingly infinite mindscape and drastic increase in intelligence and pretentious vocabulary usage were causes for later concerns; Serena was ill prepared for when the nameless evil began attacking them. The entire vicinity darkened even further all around them as though someone had thrown a pair of invisible sunglasses over Serena's face, and a solid mass of suffocating shadows engulfing them in an attempt to swallow them. Serena wanted to scream as she and her friends became absolutely frantic in their panic-induced and futile efforts to escape; the sensation akin to drowning in molten, liquid tar. The sheer weight of the darkness pressing down on her and squeezing the air from her lungs made it feel like she was drowning in an bottomless chasm filled with water; the infinite pressure bearing down on her should've been enough to crush her into atoms and yet something was protecting her. She somehow knew she was literally bearing the weight of infinite worlds on her shoulders right now, and knew she and her friends were going to die in this suffocating darkness of infinite, all-consuming density and power.

She couldn't see anything and was only acutely aware of both Shauna and Calem being forcibly separated from her; she tried to fight against it with all her strength, but the solid tomb of perpetual darkness and infinite gravitational force accommodated her every attempt by stretching like a satanic womb straight from the most fathomless depths of hell. Hopelessness and despair finally consumed her as she realized this was it; she was as good as dead, condemned to slowly stretch and undergo the noodle effect. Calem and Shauna were already swallowed up, returning to the darkness that predates the whole of creation itself; just as all things in the universe did in time. It was hopeless, no matter what new abilities she had accumulated literally overnight; there was no way she was proficient enough at using them to get herself out of this impossible situation, against a being who was literally unbeatable by his fundamental nature. She had so much left to live for, but it was over, just like that; she could spend all eternity in this darkness and absolute oblivion cursing the unfairness of it all. Or, she could just give into it and let it end this pointless, fruitless, and futile struggle to cling to her feeble sun, her hopes, her dreams, her entire life; all of which would die in the end anyways. Only the primordial void, the original darkness would remain in the end of days; with that in mind Serena closed her eyes and welcomed death with open arms, knowing that when she fell asleep in this thing's embrace she would know the true meaning of eternal slumber.

Her heart was beginning to slow to a crawl; the last bits of air were nearly gone from her lungs now, and her line of vision was carrying her into infinity, allowing her to see into the afterlife that almost beckoned her now. She was able to see a faint light glowing in the distance of an endless junction of long, dark tunnels; an Omnipotence Nexus calling out to her and enticing her away to an existence free from the constraints of individuality; an existence as the collective consciousness, thought, and omniscient knowledge of all the omnipotent beings living in the Omega Omnisphere and all mortal beings as well, a life of omnipresence and being one with all things while losing her sense of self in the process. That should have scared her; but she felt like she was home and could put her life behind her, she felt comfortable in the embrace of the ON and becoming one with it and all that sprang from it's infinite entirety.

Her last and only regret in the physical world, in her fleeting existence of 18 years in the light, was that she never got to see Ash again. Knowing that she would never again get a chance to say it before she ceased to be forever; she spoke the words she never had the courage to before, projecting her true emotions towards Ash and Ash alone, knowing he'd never hear them from her but feeling like she had to say them nonetheless. ' _I love you Ash, I know it is too late for me to do anything about it now but please; find a way out of this and live a good long life, do it for me okay. It's too late for me to get out of this mess but perhaps you can live to tell about it, and always remember that I'm your straw hat girl, now and forever; no matter whom you may end up with. You were the one, you were always the right guy for me; and you always would have been. I'm so sorry, I would give anything to have been able to tell you this somehow; but it looks like this is the end. Goodbye my champion... goodbye my Pokémon Master, goodbye my everything,_ ' feeling somewhat better that she had said all that, even if only in her mind and heart; Serena was able to make peace with her death and her merging with the ON, but was quite unprepared for what happened next as her life's most precious moments flashed before her tear-stained eyes and reminded her of just what she was giving up.

XXXXX

_Flashbacks_

_Professor Oak's infamous summer camp sessions were known to aspiring Pokémon trainers and children worldwide, and the Kalos region was no exception to the rule. Given that in his youth professor Oak had not only been one of the world's foremost authorities on Pokémon ology but had also been Red's predecessor as the Pokémon League Champion of the entire world; the Oak family name was one known all over the world. It was said that Oak himself had passed on his old champion level team to his eldest grandson Blue when the time was right for him to officially retire; he was also the first ever Pokémon trainer to train his Pokémon to a level of infinity, so the absolutely immortal behemoths that made up his former team needed a new trainer as the aged professor himself had gotten a bit too old for competitive battling._

_It was well known that the eccentric professor was past his prime when it came to Pokémon battling but he was still as sharp as ever when it came to researching Pokémon from across the world, even if he was a little absentminded he made up for it with seemingly unparalleled genius and imagination for the bizarre and unexplained aspects of the world of Pokémon . Now he spent his days like this, directing his camp which took place out in the forests of Route 1 between Pallet town and Viridian city, or constantly updating and playing around with his Pokedex data and tweaking information as new stuff was discovered._

_The camp didn't have too many kids, given Pallet town's lack of them; but there were still a fair number of kids present including one lonely girl from very far out of town. She was 6 years old with shoulder length, honey colored hair and deep cerulean colored eyes. The boys at camp would say she was pretty from time to time, but she barely even spoke a word, too shy to bother trying to make any new friends and missing the one true friend she had back in Vaniville town in Kalos. She wore a straw hat atop her head, with a silky smooth pink ribbon wrapped around it in a sort of bow tie, and a pink sundress that came to just above her knees. She was one of three girls present here, the other two she remembered as being named Leaf and Marina._

_Leaf's real name was something Serena never bothered to ask her about, because like her mother Greta who was rechristened Green, Leaf stuck to the nickname her friends and fellow children of Pallet town gave her. She was also the only girl at camp who Serena felt moderately comfortable around and whom she could properly talk to, and Leaf was always so encouraging, always trying to help her get over her initial shyness and defeatist attitude._

_Leaf was a cute little brunette of seven years with startlingly green eyes and lightly tanned skin. She wore a plain blue top and a red plait skirt; was friendly and outgoing with a bubbly personality and very positive outlook on life, and was in essence a friend to absolutely everyone at camp, including Serena herself. She was the first to welcome and greet Serena to the annual Pokémon professor's summer camp, and the first to be greeted in typical Kalosian fashion by Serena who proceeded to kiss both of her cheeks just like her mom had taught her when meeting a new acquaintance. Leaf and the others had looked surprised at seeing this, but the girl immediately recovered and grinned broadly at the newcomer; making her feel as at home as she could have possibly been._

_It had been about a week or so since Serena had made friends with Leaf and eventually started talking to Marina as well; since the three of them shared the girl's cabin that was kind of a given. And now Serena was thinking about all this as she, Leaf, and Marina got ready to hit the hay after another long day of camp filled events like nature hiking, observing Pokémon in their native environment, swapping ghost stories around the camp fire and roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. Serena was terrified of ghosts and ghost type Pokémon so she had quickly retreated back to her cabin before more could be told, with Leaf following to check up on her and Marina bringing up the rear. Now they were getting ready for bed and doing their nightly rituals, when Serena first heard the name of the boy who would change everything, her beliefs, her worldview, and her preconceived notions on what it meant to be human... everything._

" _Ugh Ash is soooo annoying, no wonder nobody in Pallet town likes him. Gots to be better than the rest of us all the time; beating Gary and Jimmy at everything. Ugh, I wish he would just leave us alone and let us enjoy camp with Oak being in charge like he's supposed to be, the stupid old man," Marina groaned frustratingly as Leaf immediately jumped to Ash's defense while Serena was totally confused._

" _Be nice to Ash Marina, the poor guy is getting teased all the time by Gary; he doesn't need you or anyone else being nasty to!" Leaf angrily defended the mystery boy as Serena remained totally confused as to who they were referring to. She remembered all the boys at camp including Gary Oak; who's attitude was absolutely horrible. She even knew about Jimmy who was the nicer of the two boys, but she didn't know anybody by the name of Ash and had never even met the assistant camp director/game manager._

" _Um excuse me, but who's Ash?" Serena tentatively wondered as Leaf was the first to respond, clearly realizing that the honey blonde foreigner had no idea whom they were talking about. "Oh sorry Serena, forgot you were there for a sec. Ash is the most athletic, mature, intelligent, and cute boy at camp and in all of Pallet, all the girls like him; even Daisy Oak likes him. He's also really nice, though he is kind of weird," Leaf replied as Serena furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity._

" _What do you mean 'weird'?" Serena couldn't help but wonder, feeling more intrigued by this strange boy the more her new friends talked about him. She wondered if she would like to meet him and if they could be friends. Instead of Leaf answering her though, Marina overshot her and answered instead. "She means he's like super duper smart, like mega smart. And he's really good at everything, and beats Gary at everything they do; which is why Gary hates him. The weird thing about it is Ash is super nice, and doesn't rub Gary's nose in anything. My mom used to tell me not to trust any boys who seem too perfect to be true; I guess this is what she meant," Marina ranted fervently, flushing red in her frustration as Serena nodded uncertainly. Truth be told this Ash didn't sound all that bad in her opinion, but she was afraid to say that aloud lest Marina start ranting at her instead._

_Leaf took it from there as Serena contemplated this boy, "he's a bit of a weirdo, but he's kind, thoughtful, and his mom rocks. She always throws the best Christmas and Easter parties and invites the whole freaking town. Besides, how could anyone as special as Ash not be awesome with a mom that cool," Leaf concluded fondly, and with that she climbed into bed and turned out the lights; since she was the leader of the girl's cabin she was in charge of their schedule. Serena meanwhile, lay awake all night listening to Marina and Leaf's silent breathing while they slept, ever curious about this boy named Ash and unable to shake the desire to meet him..._

_XXXXX_

_It had been three days since the discussion about Ash and Serena had still had no luck in meeting him. For a guy who was supposed to be in charge of all the camp's events, he sure kept himself absent and busy. She wondered what he did with his time and knew it was silly that she kept pining after him in some desperate search for somebody unique who could become a lifelong friend. She saw professor Oak everyday at least and could always ask him about Ash if it came to that, and she knew it was silly to be searching for a boy she didn't even know, but ever since that night three days ago she couldn't stop thinking about him and the thought of meeting him, having imagined all kinds of scenarios for their first encounter._

_After three days of attending all the camp's events without any luck whatsoever, she had pretty much given up. Hell she'd even sneaked into the boy's cabin one night to see if he was sleeping in his designated bed, and still her search came up empty. She didn't even know why she wanted to meet him so bad or why she seemed so fascinated by the kind of boy that Leaf described him as, but she was getting desperate and almost obsessive about this one single endeavor. Now the time had come to find him no matter what it took, and she was interested on getting some answers as to his whereabouts, deciding to approach the boys first when Oak had gathered them all for one of his famous lectures on Pokémon ._

_She was just working up the courage to talk to Jimmy, whom Leaf and Marina both informed her was the nicer of the two boys present, when Oak himself called for quiet and asked everybody to sit down in their designated seats. "Hmm, excuse me children for interrupting your discussions, as many of you know I am professor Samuel Oak and I'm a Pokémon researcher and professor. Now as we all know, this world is widely inhabited by creatures called Pokémon , some grace our skies, others swim our oceans, and others still roam our lands. You can find Pokémon in every environment across our entire planet earth, some scientists even dispute the possibility that Pokémon like Clefairy, Clefable, and others came from the moon. In the Hoenn region there is also a Pokémon called Deoxys, which is where it was first discovered. Now before we continue can anybody tell me why legendary Pokémon like Deoxys are not recommended for beginning or newbie trainers," Oak quizzed with a lighthearted chuckle, silently conveying to the kids that it was alright if they didn't know the answer to this question. He was quite unprepared however when a small girl with a straw hat and honey blonde hair slowly raised her hand._

" _Um, I think that legendary Pokémon are like, super tough and unma...ma...manageable, any trainer who catches them has to have lots of practice with training Pokémon who are extre...extremely strong," Serena stuttered uncertainly, tripping over some of the harder words she had picked up while trying to read the various encyclopedia books on Pokémon and Pokémon legends, her best friend Amber Valentino having read them from cover to cover and recommending them to her like the super genius she was._

_Oak nodded and smiled approvingly, "correct miss... ugh, I'm sorry, what did you say your name was young lady?" he wondered absentmindedly as Serena blushed upon noticing that all eyes were on her. "Um, Serena Yvonne mister Oak," she stammered shyly, unable to believe she had given a suitable answer to a really difficult question. Everyone began murmuring all around her upon hearing her name as Oak cleared his throat once more, calling for silence and smiling as everyone fell silent to a T._

" _Ah yes, the daughter of Grace; the famous Rhyhorn racer. I heard you were coming," Oak suddenly remembered as another voice broke out from behind him on the stage. "Yes that answer was definitely acceptable, Deoxys is also known to possess seemingly infinite cellular energy and the power to regenerate from all forms of harm no matter how severe; including having its entire body burned to ashes. Some say that Deoxys has regenerative powers rivaling that of level infinity Pokémon even before becoming fully trained himself. Anyways, you sent for me professor?" the calm, serene, and highly intelligent sounding voice of a young boy said as someone new stepped onto the stage._

_Upon first glimpsing the boy Serena's breath caught in her throat for reasons she couldn't fathom. He was around her age, though significantly taller, with wild, raven colored hair and amber-golden eyes; eyes that shone with such intelligence and brilliance that they didn't even seem real. He wore a yellow and red tea shirt which formed a red and yellow Pokeball symbol along his right side; and blue jeans with the sleeves rolled up into makeshift denim shorts. His skin was tanned and he was the most athletic looking six year old she'd ever laid eyes on, and his eyes seemed to bore into her very soul as he caught sight of her almost immediately, evidently placing her as the one in the crowd to answer professor Oak's question._

" _Did I, oh yes I remember now. Ash my boy, how is camp life treating you? Hey listen, do you think you could do me a favor and keep your friends in the crowd there entertained and educated for me? Something just came up at the lab and I gotta run for the time being; but I'm sure I can leave all of you in my assistant camp director's more than capable hands," Oak said, announcing the last part of his statement to the campers at large while the adult supervisors still present seemed to respect that this was no ordinary boy._

_Ash's eyes widened a bit at the prospect of being handed the reins as the director of the camp. Normally Oak wouldn't have just given this kind of authority to a kid he never even met but Ash has proven time and again that he was more than capable of shouldering this kind of responsibility, and as one of Oak's own personal students at the lab, he knew the boy as well as anyone and could expect great things from him in the future._

_A lot of the other kids were shocked that Ash was essentially in charge of the entire camp now; but Serena could only grin like an idiot for some reason. She didn't know what Ash had planned for them but somehow she got the feeling that it was going to be fun; and besides he was without a doubt the cutest boy here at camp. She looked forward to being able to get to know him a little better now that he was technically here to stay._

_It took Ash precisely three seconds to recover from his shock, but when he did he gave a maddening feral grin at the prospect of being the designated leader. "I'll do my absolute best professor, you can count on me. I know this campsite and its many events like the back of my hands," Ash proclaimed as Oak nodded in approval and checked back with the other adult supervisors to make sure they were okay with that, grinning like a madman when they all just nodded in accord._

" _See that you make this fun for everybody alright? It's okay for things to be educational but you got to balance between educational and entertaining, do you understand my boy," Oak said to the young man who had become like another one of his grandchildren to him. Ash nodded somewhat meekly and Oak's grin widened before he stepped off the stage and Ash stacked a pile of books he had on hand and had been reading underneath the podium so that he could reach the microphone. Once Oak had left Ash began talking, looking as though he did this sort of thing every day as Serena found herself drawn in by his... everything, his voice, his words, his smooth velvety, sing-song tone, his mad passion and enthusiasm for all things Pokémon , everything._

" _Okay, so um, as I'm sure you all know by now I'm your temporary replacement for professor Oak while our esteemed professor attends to other matters. Anyways, I haven't really prepared an actual speech as I'm sure you all can tell," Ash chuckled somewhat nervously, earning a collective chortle from the crowd of kids, even the obnoxious Gary cracked a smile as he yelled out at Ash. "Come on Ashy boy, you're boring us already; gramps said to make this fun," he mocked as Serena noticed the first traces of a frown crossing Ash's handsome face._

" _Anyways, as I was saying, Pokémon are vastly misunderstood creatures; in fact there is whole lot more of what we don't know than what we do know. Same principles apply to the field of Pokémon ology as say the universe; there are an infinite number of possibilities and discoveries we could make just by studying Pokémon , and as Oak might have mentioned, we can find them anywhere, even somewhere as exotic as the vast ocean of stars above us. Deoxys is just one example of an extra-terrestrial Pokémon ; there are godlike beings in Pokémon form whom legend has it exist in dimensions many, many times removed from our own. Can anybody tell me which legendary beings I am referring to? If not that's okay, nobody expects you to just arbitrarily know everything outright," Ash continued in a poetic manner; effectively losing everyone in the crowd as the adults supervising sweat dropped at this delivery and Gary shouted a loud 'boo' from his place in the crowd. All the while however Ash maintained a perfectly stoic demeanor and waited for someone, anyone to answer his little quiz. Realizing that nobody else was going to do it, Serena decided to do something she'd never considered doing before, she stepped up and raised her hand boldly into the air._

_Ash grinned like a madman upon seeing her hand go up; his almost insane approval enough to make Serena feel good about herself as she proceeded to answer him. Gary was gaping at her like a Goldeen, mouthing something like 'no freaking way'. Marina rolled her eyes melodramatically whereas Leaf smiled at Serena in a reassuring manner; silently conveying to her to continue with her answer. "Alright, to the girl in a straw hat, let's hear it; I want to hear for myself that you know the answer to this," Ash reassured her as Serena nodded, trying to remember how to pronounce the complicated names of the legendary Pokémon her mother used to read stories to her about._

_Quickly recovering from her embarrassment, Serena spoke the answer to his question to the best of her ability. "My mommy used to read me a bedtime story about the land of Sinnoh. Long ago there was nothing except a... churching, no a churning t-t-t-turmoil of chaos, gah this is really hard. These super Pokémon you talked about were from Sinnoh; Di-Di-Dialga, Palkia, and Gi-ratina, and the Original One whom many believe is a Pokémon called Arceus," Serena struggled to pronounce the words but thanks to her photographic memory and essentially total recall she was able to sound out the names of the Pokémon her mother recited to her even as her six year old mind struggled with the words themselves._

_Everybody was amazed by the fact that Serena had been able to say the names of the Pokémon at all; let alone tie them to the extra-dimensional entities Ash had spoken so highly of in his lecture. Ash himself was beaming at her in what almost seemed to be admiration. Seeing this look on his face forced Serena to repress a blush._

" _Awesome job straw hat girl, I hereby award the girls cabin another badge for you not only answering my question correctly; but also having the courage to come forth and share your brilliance with the rest of the campers," Ash proclaimed as Leaf and even Marina cheered, while Ash got down from the stage and handed Serena a badge that said 'academic achievement' with a kind smile._

_Hopping back up to his podium on the state, Ash carried on where he left off with his lecture, going onto explain the legends surrounding Sinnoh. "As my fellow camper so correctly stated; Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus are in fact from dimensions many times removed from our own. Such is their rarity even compared to other legendary Pokémon that people wonder if they even exist. Now how about we talk about what each and every one of you believes in? What do you believe to be real or fiction in our infinite universe? Also remember that here at this camp that nobody will judge you harshly no matter how ridiculous or absurd 'some people' may find your beliefs to be," Ash replied with a sage's wisdom, going around and answering questions about anything and everything the kids in the crowd directed towards him; casting a wry glance at Gary the moment he said 'some people'. Serena knew she wouldn't be sleeping that night again; given the fact that Ash was even more amazing in person than she expected him to be. He even praised her for her intelligence and ingenuity, something nobody had ever done before. That night was the night that Serena Yvonne became positively star-struck for the first time in all her young life..._

_XXXXX_

_Ash had been steering the camp for the last week or so, and Serena was having fun for the first time since coming here; the only thing she was disappointed about was that Ash was too busy to focus his attention on her for more than a few minutes. She had tried getting him alone to talk to him but he was constantly bombarded by questions from the other campers or teased by Gary, all of them wanted to know what he would be doing next and Ash himself was also partaking in all the events as well as being in charge of them. Serena found herself wondering more and more if the cute camper boy ever slept, and would often catch him up late at night, camping under the stars with nothing but a sleeping bag and a dying campfire hearth beside him._

_She actually had several opportunities to talk to him during those times at night, but had never gotten the courage to do so and would always stumble, falter, doubt. She wondered if he had even been impressed by her answering his questions time and time again or if he was trying to be nice to her and make her feel more at home here. She questioned whether they could actually be friends when Ash was a constant busy-body and didn't even fully relax when he was supposed to be sleeping. Instead he would lay down in the dirt with a pillow and sleeping bag underneath the endless diamond skies, situated strategically in front of both the girl and boy cabins, so that he could catch anybody trying to stay out after curfew; although he caught her outside watching him several times in the past week, he never bothered saying anything to her about it for some weird reason, and proceeded to lay back down._

_After about three nights of just standing there and watching him fall asleep however, Serena had become fed up with her nervousness and was determined to talk to him no matter what it took. She hadn't had any problems talking with her best friend Amber back in Vaniville town though they had known each other since they were in diapers; they played together, toddled for their first time together, and just all around became best friends. Amber was undoubtedly the best and only friend she had for the first six years of her life, and ever since her father abandoned her and her mom she just didn't have the strength to open up and let someone in like she should have, all of this stemming from a fear she had of anyone else she befriended leaving her as well._

_Now though, her mom had sent her to this Arceus-forsaken camp and worst of all she was separated from Amber, and at first she had hated it; now though it wasn't so bad, and with Ash around she felt like she could finally have a proper friend around here to show her the ropes. So here she stood during the third night of being out past curfew, watching Ash camp out under the stars with admiration. He would sometimes talk aloud to himself and just prattle on about nothing, but she would become hooked on hearing his soft, smooth, intoxicating voice as he pondered life and death, or talked about Pokémon and his goals, discussing some of the most broad range of topics in the most deeply philosophical ways she'd ever heard from anyone, especially a 6 year old boy. She often wondered if he knew she was there, given how he would sometimes glance over in her direction as he talked and talked and talked, and she felt comfort from the fact that he was waiting patiently for her to make the first move._

_Now however, she was determined to see him and talk as well; if nothing else then at least she could get some of her frustration with her mother off her chest. She just needed somebody to listen, and right now Ash was the only authority figure present whom she felt she could fully trust. He seemed to give off a trustworthy vibe and his presence welcomed her in, and Serena had always been unnaturally good at reading people for reasons she didn't understand; though it made her a great judge of character._

_Finally on the third night, she found herself walking out to meet him at the barren campfire site, unable to take her shyness anymore and wanting so badly to just talk to the figure who continued to fascinate her for nights on end. It was all fine and good that she was shy and cautious when approaching a new environment with new people, but when it impeded her ability to make new friends then that was when it became a problem. Finally after what felt like a small eternity she was sitting right beside his sleeping bag in the dirt, not even really caring that she was essentially sitting in the earth and only able to think about how proud she was of herself for finally having the courage to do this. Ash meanwhile was sitting on his side with his head held up by his right hand and elbow, gazing expectantly at her like he had been anticipating this for a lifetime; his golden eyes boring into her and seeming to peer into her very soul._

" _Um, hi," Serena stammered nervously, and said boy smiled kindly at her, neither laughing nor even chuckling at her somewhat lame introductory statement. "Hey there Serena, glad you finally got the courage to come out here and say hi to me at least. I know you're shy and all but I promise I won't bite," Ash whispered comfortingly as Serena giggled slightly, drawing her knees and her legs upwards and wrapping her arms around them as a cold draft blew through the campsite, making her wish she had worn better clothes. She was quite shocked however, when something very warm and comfortable immediately found itself wrapped around her; Ash, being ever the gentleman, had gotten up in the time it took Serena to realize it was cold, unwrapped his blanket from around him, sat up beside her, and wrapped them both up in it instead so that they were both huddling together within it's comfortable embrace._

" _There, that's better isn't it? Believe me my mom always buys this stuff so many sizes too big for me because she says that I grow like a weed. Frankly I'm glad she did though because A, I grow too fast for my own good; and B, at least in this situation there's enough room for both of us under here and I was able to help you out a little," Ash whispered kindly as Serena felt all warm and fuzzy inside from the random act of pure kindness Ash was doing for someone he didn't even know._

" _How come you're so nice to me; you don't even know me?" Serena finally wondered, having been meaning to ask him that question for days given his penchant for always trying to inspire her to do more and do better. He constantly pushed her to be her best when he was leading the various camp activities and was always after her to do what she could. He was always so kind and so inspirational towards her; telling her not to give up or give in to despair, always insisting that she could outperform everyone else at camp for reasons she couldn't put a finger on._

" _I don't know to be honest," Ash admitted after several drawn out moments. "I mean, you seem like a really sweet girl and you're really smart. I see a bit of myself in you at times and I just can't help thinking your defeatist attitude is the only thing stopping you from achieving every goal that you set for yourself. I'm usually really good at reading people and sensing the kinds of things they will go on to do; and I just feel like you of all the children here at this camp will go on to accomplish wonders and achieve unlimited miracles. Out of all the kids I've known here you seem to be the one with the most potential to change the world; but maybe I'm reading too much into it. No matter what though Serena, you need to keep on keeping on, if you keep working at it and refuse to let anything stop you; you might just take the entire world by storm some day. I guess that's why I feel so compelled to help you, maybe I'm just being silly," Ash admitted sheepishly, though he was quite unprepared for when Serena pecked him on the cheek, causing both of them to break out in a mad blush._

_Rubbing the spot on his cheek where Serena had kissed him, Ash couldn't stop smiling for some reason, "what was that for?" he wondered, his unnaturally mature six year old mind genuinely curious as to what he did to deserve that. Serena giggled shyly as she formulated a response, "for being so nice to me, nobody has ever believed in me before and I just; thank you Ash," Serena smiled adoringly while gazing into the eyes that were pure gold as they sat somewhat cuddling together underneath the midnight sky. The blankets and the warmth of their small bodies pressed together seemed to connect them on another level. Serena couldn't have been more happy than she was now; the fact that somebody believed in her so strongly was enough to nearly reduce her to tears of happiness, and she was quite shocked by what Ash said next, even if she only understand less than half of what he said._

" _You know it's weird, but the moment I laid my eyes on you I knew you would be special, and that you would go on to accomplish things few other mortals can possibly conceive. Now, my father may be the all-powerful champion of the world, but people like you and me, we'll inherit the earth, at least that's my opinion," Ash smiled kindly, once again making Serena feel like a princess or a goddess or some equally absurdly powerful little girl, a feeling she never wanted to let go of. And thus began the first of many nights that the two of them would talk for all hours into it, of course with each night they talked Serena became increasingly aware of her limited time here with her new friend, and the knowledge that no matter how much she could have learned about him in these nights they sat together, it would never be enough. Such was her connection to this mysterious boy, this enigma that was Ash Ketchum that she almost forgot about missing her best friend Amber back home, almost..._

_XXXXX_

_Six years old, Serena was six years old and already she was love-struck, and by a boy she hardly knew at a camp she had initially hated; but came to enjoy as Ash continued to discretely help her while directing the rest of the camp and participating in the events as well. For a six year old boy, he really was the ultimate taskmaster, and he was smarter than any boy she'd ever met, like freakishly, unnaturally so. From what he had told her during their nightly conversations, he had always been this unnaturally smart and he even confided in her why he refused to dumb himself down for the sake of fitting in as the rest of Pallet town phrased it. He explained that what he had was a gift, and he wasn't about to pretend to be something he wasn't for the sake of the majority of short sighted, narrow minded, misinformed, unimaginative, and omninescient dimwits who couldn't tolerate anyone like him._

_He was nice enough about it and didn't try to rub his intelligence or his unnatural talent in all fields in people's faces, nor was he an egotist; he was just being himself and was glad to respect everybody's right to be themselves in turn, so long as they respected him for his decision to use his brain. Not to mention he was sweet, sensitive, caring, intuitive, and so much more than just a little cute. Serena was definitely smitten with the boy, and for good reason, because he had a lot going for him that would attract a lot of great girls in the not so distant future._

_Despite his encouragement however, Serena still struggled in any event that involved physical activity, and aside from her encyclopedic knowledge of all things Pokémon , there was only so many times Ash could award the girl's cabin a badge for the same thing without it looking like favoritism. She was determined however, to win a badge for her cabin this time, even if it was the one event she hated most of all... scavenger hunt. She cringed as she looked at the list Ash had excitedly handed each person from the two cabins, before going off with one of his own to beat out his rival Gary once again. Despite his reluctance to rub his superiority in people's faces he made a special exception in Gary's case because the seven year old arrogant brat needed a serious attitude check. Plus Ash admitted it was good for him to, keeping his rival on his toes in and sharp in order to boost his own morale and motivation to improve._

_Some of the things on the list were items commonly found in a forest, berries, certain types of leaves, and other stuff, but there was also a couple of Pokémon species on her list, indigenous species around the surrounding wooded area that would require the campers to go a little ways into the forest. Only problem with this was, Serena was hopeless with directions, and now it seemed she had finally gotten herself lost while searching for a Pokémon called Poliwag._

_The sunlight was blocked from view by the density of the forest all around her, and it was eerily silent, only the occasional chirp of a bird Pokémon grabbing her attention every now and again._

_She tried not to give into her ever-growing feeling of fear, not wanting to panic outright and hoping she could find her way back to camp when all was said and done. She was cutting through some more bushes, cringing as her exposed feet in her sandals were being stung by nettles, all the gnarled roots of the trees and even all the trees themselves now looking the exact same to her as her panic built to a crescendo._

" _Where is everybody? Hello, please somebody, I think I'm lost," Serena called out somewhat meekly, fear evident in her tone as she found herself in a small clearing; hoping beyond measure that somebody would come and find her by this point and trying not to cry as she felt her eyes begin to water. She knew she was hopelessly lost now, and she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever be found, her irrational six year old mind imagining all kinds of scenarios where she'd die in the middle of a vast forest long before anyone ever found her._

_With that thought as her only company, Serena was quite unprepared for when the bushes behind her began rustling noisily, startling her out of her reverie as she immediately jerked forward in a sudden, involuntary movement and tripped over one of the tree roots sticking out of the ground all around her; hitting the ground hard and scraping her knee roughly against the bark of the tree roots, taking a chunk right out of the skin on top of her knee cap and causing a sharp, stinging pain to shoot through her entire body from that point of impact._

_Tears of both sadness and pain started pouring down her face like a river at this point, the damn breaking as Serena realized she'd probably die alone in this forest with nobody to care for her. "I knew I shouldn't have come to this stupid camp, I just knew it... mommy!" Serena cried out desperately, hoping that against all odds her mom would somehow hear her and take all the pain away. All the sadness, frustration, and hopelessness from this camp's events along with all the others caught up to her, and all of her uncertainty came to the forefront of her mind as she realized she'd never even won a single badge for her cabin outside of answering Ash's simple, Pokémon related questions during his many lectures. Her life hadn't exactly been a constant tragedy but it hadn't been perfect either, her father abandoned her when she was really little and her mother, in all her supreme selfishness had sent Serena to this Arceus-forsaken camp, completely disregarding her daughter's feelings on the matter even though it meant Serena would have to spend the entire summer without the company of her best friend Amber Valentino._

_Her train of thought screeched to a tumultuous halt as the bushes behind her began rustling much more, only this time much louder and much more violently. Serena immediately feared the worst, getting it into her head that a much bigger and meaner Pokémon than the Poligwag she had been searching for was about to come out of that bush and eat her. She closed her eyes as the tears continued to stream down her face, but was quite unprepared for when an all too familiar voice called out._

" _Poliwag, where'd ya go little buddy?" the gentle, soothing voice of none other than Ash Ketchum echoed from in front of her as she opened her eyes and the well of tires in them almost immediately started to dry up. In the infinitesimal amount of time it took for him to notice her, she saw him first and had never thought that anyone looked as handsome as he did in these moments. In one glorious moment of relief, all of her previous worries and concerns melted away and this nightmare suddenly got infinitely brighter. Ash's eyes widened the instant he saw her lying there in the forest floor, and quicker than she would have thought possible he was by her side._

" _Oh my Arceus Serena, are you okay?" he asked with a tone of urgency, the scavenger hunt completely forgotten as he noticed her red and puffy eyes. "My leg really hurts," Serena sniffed a little dramatically, the pain from her knee already beginning to subside yet a part of her liked that Ash was fussing over her more in one moment in time than her mother had done in her whole life. "Are you okay? Can you walk? Here, let me try something. Pain, pain, go away," Ash chanted somewhat childishly, waving his arms in a theatrical fashion as Serena realized he was implementing some kind of psychological treatment, and strangely enough it was working. Getting down on his knees in front of her, Ash tied a simple blue ribbon around her stinging knee just as Serena heard him say it was a good luck charm._

_She tried standing up but let herself fall back down, surprised by the fact that her knee wasn't hurting so badly anymore but wanting to keep this little act of hers going a little while longer. Warmth, tenderness, and strength surged through her at the thought of Ash expressing so much concern for her over a simple little scrape on her knee. Arceus knows she had sustained worst injuries from her time training on her mother's Rhyhorn and the majority of her crying came from sadness and frustration, not from physical pain, and somehow seeing Ash out here trying to humor her and fussing over her like any good friend would had the desired effect of removing her emotional pains._

" _I can't walk Ash, my leg hurts too badly," Serena meekly insisted, knowing it wasn't true and sensing that Ash was aware of this little fact. His eyes shone knowingly and with such radiance and intelligence she felt her heart skip a beat, and to her surprise he said the words that would one day inspire her to no end. "Never give up until the end straw hat girl, here, take my hand," he instructed with a knowing smirk plastered on his face, holding out the aforementioned hand for her to clasp with her own. He'd been calling her straw hat girl for the last few weeks now and she loved it for reasons she didn't understand; so she took his hand, and was surprised by how strong and yet gentle his grip was when he hoisted her straight to her feet. The two of them landed into an unintentional hug, or maybe intentional, it was hard to tell with Ash. She was quite surprised when he didn't immediately let go, and instead whispered into her ear._

" _I know what this is really about, you have a defeatist attitude and just quit when things don't go exactly the way you hope. Same deal with the scavenger hunt I think, you seemed to have learned that quitting while you're ahead is easier than sticking through until the end. There's an old saying though Serena, quitters never win and winners never quit. You may not always succeed, you may not always win, but you should never give up; keep trying and something good will always come out of it in the end," Ash whispered soothingly while rubbing her back and hugging her as she had never been hugged before. Serena's eyes widened upon processing this statement; his wisdom was inhuman for a boy his age, what the hell was he?_

_Ash's smile widened almost as if he read her mind, and taking her hand as she managed to stay standing, he started leading her back to the camp. "Come on, camp's this way, and look at you staying standing up. Now let's go straw hat girl, you don't mind if I call you that do you; I called you that once the first time by accident and it just kind of stuck," Ash rambled on as Serena felt a surge of warmth through her body where her and her knight in shining armor's hand were intertwined. "What about the scavenger hunt?" Serena said, finally finding her voice as she realized Ash was essentially giving up his chance to beat Gary in order to help her find her way back._

_Ash shrugged, "what about it? Gary may not think so but I for one feel that helping a person in need is way more important than winning some stupid competition. Why, would you rather me leave you here in this neck of the woods?" he asked somewhat jokingly to clear the air between them as Serena chuckled and shook her head no. "I think I've had enough bad stuff happen to me in forests to last forever," Serena admitted with a shudder. She had honestly thought she was going to die alone in that forest; that she was much too lost for anybody to find her, but apparently Ash knew where she was. And since they had a bit of time while walking through this forest, she figured she would ask him a question about that._

" _How did you find me?" Serena wondered curiously, still refusing to let go of his hand as she felt it tighten slightly around hers. "To be honest Serena, I got lucky; I was just following Poliwag through that neck in the woods when it led me right to you. I'm actually wondering whether it led me to you on purpose. I know these woods pretty well so you probably wouldn't have stayed lost for long; though you want to know something really spooky, I almost died in these woods once," Ash confided with a guilty undertone, and she could somehow sense what he was thinking about. He was worried about what might have happened had he not miraculously managed to stumble right on top of her._

_She stopped cold as the last part of his statement caught up to her, and she stared at him dumbfounded. "You almost died out here?! How?! When?!" she very nearly demanded, worry and concern for the boy who had rescued her from her own demise surging through her with astounding vigor. Ash sighed as he seemed to realize that may have been the wrong thing to say, but it was too late to take it back now and Serena wasn't going anywhere until she got an explanation out of him._

_He sighed in obvious exasperation, but carried on regardless. "When I was five, I was doing my usual daily exercises, you know, staying in shape, learning martial arts and stuff. Well anyways, I found myself in these woods and... Nobody believed me about what happened afterwards," Ash suddenly cringed as Serena took his other hand in her own, offering as much comfort as she could muster as she realized this was hard for him to admit._

" _I may not understand everything you say, and I may not totally believe you when you tell me your story, but I promise to do my best to understand and believe you," Serena stated with more passion than she had ever had for anything before, amazed by the level of adoration she was harboring towards this dashing young hero. Ash seemed visibly taken aback by her admission, and she blushed upon hearing her own words come out of her mouth, because while they had been hard to find they had been sincere._

" _I was five years old; in these woods something happened out here that I just... can't explain. The sky went completely black, everything went cold, like all the happiness, love, and positive energy had gone from the world. I was attacked, by something or someone that could not be seen, a faceless malice, some supreme form of darkness. My training kicked in from years of sparring with fighting type Pokémon at professor Oak's ranch, but it still wasn't enough, whoever or whatever this thing was moved much too quickly to be human. I thought it might have been a Pokémon , but no Pokémon has ever attacked me for no apparent reason before, and I'd been through these woods a hundred times beforehand without any problems._

_I tried to fight back, tried everything I could, but it still wasn't good enough. Then some really dark thoughts started forming in my head, thoughts that were quite unconnected with my own. I was immediately made aware of the futility of my struggle; that this thing could crush me completely with only the briefest of thoughts, and it would be easier to just give up. I didn't though; guess I was too stubborn, and that made it angry. It started hitting me harder, harder than any blunt force impact any human should have been able to survive, yet I barely felt a thing all the while being completely aware of just how much force this thing was exerting while striking me repeatedly at the speed of light._

_Finally it hit me harder than ever before, and let me tell you something Serena; I have never felt pain like that in my entire life, in fact I've hardly ever felt pain period. My body tore a giant swath through the forest floor, ripping through solid oak trees that even gale force storms couldn't break down, only to stop about ten miles away from the original point of impact. I was in absolute, all-consuming agony, every bone in my body was shattered, but I was alive, and I was healing even faster than this thing could damage me, and I wasn't fighting it alone." Ash paused as Serena suddenly interrupted. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, horrifyingly fascinated and grimly enraptured by Ash's tale of the impossible._

_Ash stared at her with wide-eyed amazement, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "You mean you actually believe me?!" he questioned in an obvious daze as Serena immediately nodded vigorously in affirmation. "Of course I do, you're my friend Ash, why would I think you were telling me a make belief story," Serena exclaimed emphatically, as the boy couldn't help but gaze adoringly at her upon realizing she believed in him much the same way he did her._

_He cleared his throat before answering her question from before, "there was a Pokémon helping me fend this thing off; an oddly colored Pokémon I'd only ever seen in books before then. You're not going to believe this Serena, but I saw Mew, and not just any Mew, a shiny blue one. When this darkness became aware of the Mew's presence it immediately retreated and the light and happiness returned to the world. I felt a strange manic energy surging through me as the pain from my injuries finally won out, and I fell unconscious in the middle of the forest." Ash continued as Serena listened with rapt attention, wanting to know how Ash got out of this situation alive and completely forgetting about her own troubles and the camp for the moment. She couldn't imagine how scared Ash must have been out here, how much that situation must have traumatized him; yet amazingly enough he was still brave enough to risk coming out here and leading the camp as well as playing in the forest. In all honesty, if it had been her who went through this she'd probably never leave the safety of her bedroom back in Vaniville town again._

" _You're so lucky you didn't die," Serena commented as Ash nodded in agreement before finishing his story. "Anyways when I woke up the pain was gone, and the darkness had somehow lifted; floating above me was the same blue Mew who I could sense was worried about me. After confirming that I was okay Mew smiled at me and simply left. I never saw her again," Ash concluded as Serena smiled in relief that the story had a happy ending._

" _It's too bad really, I would have given almost anything to befriend a Mew; still though it was lucky she was there, and somehow I knew that I was even more bizarre compared to others than I realized. My super powers were gone after that, and I suppose they only manifest when my life is in danger or something, but whatever the reason I did some research and came across something rather startling," Ash continued as Serena still clung to his hand like it was her lifeline. "Which is," Serena prompted as Ash continued his tale of wonders, wanting so badly to believe that what Ash was telling her was true and realizing she was talking to someone who could've passed for a legitimate super hero, even if his powers were situational he had abilities._

" _I found out that my father's side of the family were powerful users of aura, whereas my mom's side has psychics and stuff. I guess psycho-kinesis would explain my infinite intelligence but what about my increased strength and stuff, maybe my psychic powers are strong enough for me to will my physical limitations into nonexistence or something, which if that's true than maybe I'm more powerful than Sabrina herself from Saffron city is rumored to be. Honestly Serena it's quite scary to even think about," Ash explained as Serena gasped, having heard stories about aura guardians and psychic humans before but having believed them to be a myth until now._

" _That's... amazing, you're a real super hero Ash," Serena whispered adoringly, causing Ash to immediately blush at her praise. "No I'm not," he spluttered in shock, unable to form coherent sentences at this point as Serena merely stood on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. This caused his entire body to turn beet red as he stared at her in obvious surprise, and Serena giggled cutely at his adorable expression. "Thank you for saving me Ash, you may not think you're a super hero, but you're my champion, mister Pokémon master" she cooed in total adoration, completely smitten with her boy rescuer as Ash was now paralyzed with embarrassment at her recent actions._

" _Anyways... let's get you back to the campsite," Ash stammered once he remembered how to speak, or breathe, or even who the hell he was, having enjoyed that little peck on the cheek a lot more than he was letting on as he led her the rest of the way out of the forest. Serena knew, without knowing how she knew, that she had just made a friend for life, and that her friendship with this boy would one day be the stuff of legends. Hearing his tale of the impossible made her acutely aware that death came for everyone in the end and that all of them, even Ash, could only evade it for so long. Yet despite knowing this Ash's tale had also made her realize that death could sometimes be cheated, maybe even outright defied. Or maybe Ash didn't cheat death so much as he just refused to become an instrument of it? Who knew for certain, the only thing she did know however; was that this life she led with Ash Ketchum, the future Pokémon master of the universe, was one worth fighting for until the bitter end. No matter what was happening to her right now in the embrace of absolute darkness snuffing out her life, she knew she could never give up until the end, and this battle with the ultimate darkness was not OVER!_

XXXXX

_Back in the Present Day_

In all his 18 years, Calem had never been so certain of his own death nor had he been so frightened of it before. People always took life for granted, because they thought themselves immortal. But if they could have been in his position, suffocating to death in this entombment of infinite blackness; they might not have wasted a single moment ever again if they somehow managed to escape. Because if this situation had taught him anything after the darkness took his Shauna from him, it was that life was precious, and he'd be damned if he let this monster take that away from him before he could really even begin to start living and start doing his very best to master the art of Pokémon battling on an infinite level.

But what could he do, he and Shauna had been forcibly separated by this thing, and he couldn't see her or Serena anywhere. To make matters worse he wasn't able to breathe, and could only hold his breath for so long before he ran out of air. It had only been about thirty seconds, and it was a damn good thing Calem had done breathing exercises whilst learning how to swim back at the Aquacorde town public swimming pool. If he hadn't he may have already had the life snuffed out of him.

He had no Pokémon to protect him from this thing, and he himself was only human, against a being who claimed to be omnipotent. At this point, all he could do was pray for a miracle; if he had to die his only real regrets were that he didn't master Pokémon battling and that he didn't tell Shauna how he felt about her. It had been hard dating Serena knowing she didn't really feel the same way about him, but Calem had learned to live with it, especially with Shauna acting as a sort of mediator between him and Serena following their breakup. In all honesty, had it not been for Shauna trying to mend things between them Calem wasn't certain he and his ex-girlfriend would have been able to stay friends. As it was though, the three of them were still perfectly tight, and Calem would have given anything to be able to protect them. In the last year or so following his breakup with Serena, Calem had realized one thing, and that was the fact that he truly loved Shauna.

He and the brunette went way back, they had been best friends since before they could walk and talk and both of them had been born in Johto before coming here to Vaniville town and meeting Serena for the first time at the age of eight. It was obvious right from the get go that Serena had been having a rough time adjusting to life back in Kalos without her best friend, and with the mysterious death of her other best friend from Kalos during her time in Kanto, Serena was left totally bereft of friends until Calem and Shauna themselves were able to fill that role.

Now though, unless they thought of something Calem and his best friend and his hopefully future girlfriend were going to die all alone and completely separated in this womb of pure evil and malice. He couldn't see anything, not even his own hand in front of his face, and so he was quite unprepared for when a blinding, searing white light began forming in the vast ocean of shadows. The light had started out as little more than a tiny glimmer, but quickly grew into a dome of boundless brilliance, expanding out to combat the blackness and somehow managing to swallow it up... causing a massive explosion of power and light to rock the world like it was off the Richter scale and for Calem to be ejected from this nightmare at the speed of light. The force of the explosion almost knocked him out, and he clung to consciousness only just as the darkness somehow lifted and the world as he knew it re-emerged into being all around him, making him feel as a baby would when it left its mother's womb for the first time. He hit the dirt covering the path on Route One, and felt a thud beside him and a body hugging tightly to him as he realized he and Shauna were now home free, back outside in the real world and gasping uncontrollably as a fresh, cool burst of air entered their lungs for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Holy shit, I thought we were going to die," Shauna murmured breathlessly beside him once they remembered how to speak, her voice sounding raspy and completely dried out, but it was undeniably her own. Calem felt his eyes tear up in relief as he and Shauna embraced each other, not knowing or caring what was happening around them as both seemed to realize they were alive; they were going to be okay. Shauna pulled away only slightly to stare into her oldest friend's tear filled eyes, his face and his lips somewhat blue from the total lack of heat, light, and oxygen but that wasn't going to stop her from doing what she was about to do.

Grabbing his face in her own hands clumsily, which were shaking and lightly tinged blue due to almost suffocating; Shauna planted a searing hot kiss firmly on Calem's lips and immediately their entire bodies reddened and heated back up again. Calem wasn't aware of what brought this on but he sure as hell wasn't going to complain as he realized Shauna was kissing him; completely, totally kissing him like he had dreamed about for countless months. They separated as the need to breathe became too great too soon, but Calem could feel a very pleasurable warmth surging through his body now as Shauna stared at him almost lustfully; in these moments the both of them knew that they would never again take anything for granted. Something or someone had just done the impossible and stopped an omnipotent being from extinguishing their lives, and both of them knew more than ever now that their lives were a precious gift, and that those lives were meant to be shared.

Calem had never been more sure of anything in his life, this whole almost dying thing had given him a totally new perspective; from now on he wasn't going to waste time with something like confessing his feelings for Shauna when he wanted more than simple friendship with her. He was going to live life to its fullest; take chances, make mistakes, and maybe even get hurt along the way, but at least he would be alive and truly living. He wasn't going to pussyfoot around anymore and he could tell Shauna felt the same way as he did.

"Wait a minute... Serena! Where the hell is she," Shauna suddenly remembered as both she and Calem spun around frantically in search of her friend, and within seconds they spotted her, both of their jaws hitting the floor as they glimpsed their mutual friend in all her glory. Said honey blonde girl was bathed in an almighty glow of golden light; a halo of absolute, almighty celestial powers that set the entire world around them throbbing. They could feel her presence bathing the whole of Vaniville town in a dome of sheer power, and standing across from her was what appeared to be an equally powerful black cat-like Pokémon .

It was terrifying to behold, easily the size of a moving van, floating above the ground in a slightly humanoid posture with an incredibly long, skinny tail, short stubby arms, rabbit-like feet, and red eyes with vertical pupils. Its maw was open and it's banana sized teeth were bared at this new version of Serena, evidently extremely pissed off that she managed to set them all free, which Calem and Shuana both somehow knew she did. The world around them was brighter and more vibrant than ever, the dome of power protecting the rest of the world from the battle that was about to ensue, yet even the residents of Vaniville town were experiencing the most blissful sensations in the wake of Serena's new, godlike presence; warmth, tenderness, love, strength, and others. This feeling of absolute euphoria seemed to last forever, yet both Shauna and Calem knew it wasn't over, for intermingling with the dome of light and sapping its power, was the black Mew's equally powerful dark presence.

Shauna and Calem couldn't believe what they were seeing, or how much power their dearest friend possessed. What the hell was she?! Where did she suddenly acquire such a powerful force?! More importantly, where could Calem get some of what she had?! Neither of them understood what was going on, but instinct told them to give Serena and this nightmarish entity a wide berth, even as they ignored said instinct and approached, only for Serena to halt them with a wave of her hand.

"Stay back you two, leave this to me," she commanded authoritatively. Calem frowned, Serena had done more than just gain some kind of godlike power and presence; she had completely changed her entire demeanor. Her voice was brimming with absolute confidence, a trait the Serena they knew had never once possessed. None of this made any sort of sense, but Calem and Shauna did as she told, and awaited the inevitable as the strange black Mew-like creature, which Calem only knew about due to pictures in his Pokémon books; addressed Serena's sudden and impossible change in everything.

" _ **You have done considerably well to make it this far into our struggle child, you even managed to manifest your innermost self and enter a sort of God mode; but it will not stop me. Boundless inner world or not, I am the Anti-God Pokémon , and I will see to your absolute destruction!**_ " the monster insisted as Calem and Shauna watched the scene unfold in horrified fascination. Serena growled in a most un-Serena-ish way and vanished, seemingly teleporting towards her enemy as the black Mew swatted at her with that tail of his, a tail so strong it tore a hole through the fabric of reality just by slicing through the air itself; leaving a mini black hole in his wake that almost immediately collapsed on itself but managed to pull Shauna and Calem along for a split second ride, along with some of the infinite light and energy from Serena's dome.

Serena meanwhile, had ducked underneath the tail whip attack and phased back to her original starting point, firing a strange ball of neon colored plasma at her opponent, and forcing him to conjure a full powered protect attack to shield against it. Calem and Shauna's jaws dropped upon watching their friend do the impossible yet again, recognizing the blob of energy she shot at the Black mew as some strange mixture of Electro Ball and flamethrower.

Both combatants suddenly disappeared, and gale force winds blew through the entirety of Vaniville city, knocking Calem and Shauna off their feet as Serena and the entity collided with each other again and again faster than the human eye could follow, leaving sonic booms in their wake that would've leveled the entire town had Serena not waved her hands and somehow made the entire vicinity unyielding. Yet despite everything she was capable of right now pandemonium ensued as the people of Vaniville Town quickly started evacuating as the two deified beings clashed again and again at hypersonic velocities.

Calem could see Grace, Rhyhorn, and Fletchling from the corner of his eye trying to fight their way through the mob of terrified people and Pokémon alike; the deafening booms like thunder as Serena and her enemy continued to gain speed and strength the more they smashed into each other. Calem tried shouting to Serena to be careful, but clearly that was easier said than done as he and Shauna were the only ones not trying to leave town. Alarms blared throughout Vaniville as the local authorities showed up and Officer Jenny came to usher people to safety, not that it would have done any good at this point.

Calem and Shauna both couldn't believe that they were witnessing as the only indication of the battle ensuing was the constant shifting motions in the air all around them, and the massive shock waves that immediately followed each distortion. Ripples of distorted reality began rending the world apart all around them, even despite Serena's best efforts to hold everything together. Houses disintegrated, people started getting sucked into a colossal vortex of dark matter and gravitational force that the demonic Mew god had generated through sheer speed alone. Calem and Shauna could only watch in helplessness and horror as clouds were displaced and parted in microseconds, the entire world quaked uncontrollably with each collision between Serena and whatever that thing was. Calem's higher cognitive functions had all but shut down as the dome of power surrounding the outskirts of their hometown somehow allowed some of the people to leave, but it didn't matter because there was no minimum safe distance. Calem had quickly figured out that it didn't matter how far the townspeople ran; hell they could run to the ends of the universe itself and it still wouldn't make a difference. For the first time in his life, Calem knew that the impossible was real and that the gods of the Pokémon universe themselves were at war. The high speed collisions between Serena and this behemoth were ripping the world apart; the skies were raining fire, the earth beneath them was cratering deeper and deeper from the sheer impact and devastation caused by their every bodily slam into one another. Clearly Serena was the less experienced at whatever this was compared to the black Mew; even with the new personality she clearly wasn't at her personal best with using these powers she somehow attained.

Suddenly something inside of him snapped as they collided harder than ever, and he couldn't take it anymore as he broke free of Shauna's grasp. The girl held onto his arm like it was the most important thing in the world, but he didn't care right now as he ran straight towards the madness happening all around them. "Serena, you've got to stop this right now... STOP," Calem screamed in mad desperation and as loud as he could, but for all his desperation to avert this infinite crisis, it was all for absolute naught as the two warring gods collided one final time; this time at the speed of light. He knew Serena was just doing whatever she could to stop this monster but putting that much force behind her attacks was going to do more harm than good. To his immense terror however, the entire world was ripped apart and the infinite mass of their collision created an Ultra-Massive black hole in the sky. The singularity immediately began to expand far beyond earth and began to feeding on everything. Calem immediately recognized the massive swirling maelstrom in the sky above them; and he was equally aware of the fact that they now had a global and quite possibly galactic scale crisis on their hands...

XXXXX

All the power in the Omega Omnisphere surged through her body as another, more experienced personality within her infinite mindscape now had control of her vessel and was battling her opponent on her behalf; yet Serena could still sense herself and was aware of what was happening outside of the boundless inner world she now found herself trapped in while her other self, this inner God battled for her. This realm she was now in was literally its own totality; completely separate from the outside universe and expanding into infinity in all directions. Countless different layers of reality were superimposed into each other in this place; one of the main layers was an endless maze expanding in omni-directions, with infinite doors leading to an equally absurd number of different dimensions and other bizarre phenomena. Countless different levels to the maze made it as endlessly high and as bottomless as it was infinitely vast on the level she was currently on; and the doors were as ever-reaching upwards as they were downwards and in all other directions. There were levels upon levels, doors upon doors, and each door led to a million more, each level descended or ascended to the next via an uncountable number of staircases; the laws of physics, gravity, and even rationality were completely wrenched apart and heavily distorted.

The sheer absurdity of this place and the endless labyrinth she found herself in was enough to make her head spin and for her brain to short circuit and stop working; it was all she could do to stare around her in stunned silence, never mind pay attention to what was going on outside this inner world. She could feel her now infinitely strong body being used by this other personality inside of her; one that was actually somewhat experienced at using the powers she just suddenly acquired literally overnight. That said, even this personality seemed at best to be only capable of sparring with the demonic god on an equal footing and was in absolutely no way his superior.

"I need to see what is going on outside of this place," Serena said once she regained the power of coherent speech, and surprisingly enough this world of infinite possibilities and unlimited power inside of her immediately obliged. A massive pool of semi-translucent liquid energy appeared above her like molten glass, superimposing with the endlessly high levels of the maze above her and allowing her to see a faded out version of the outside world while still seeing the maze above it to. It was like looking into a pair of glasses that reflected the images behind her while still being able to see what was in front of her. She now saw the maze in all its glory as well as the outside world while watching her vessel be used in a fight against what appeared to be a gigantic black Mew.

She gasped as she realized their last collision had been at the speed of light and had tore an ultra-massive black hole into the fabric of the world; one with an energy level infinitely exceeding anything producible by nature alone and one that was drawing the entire omniverse itself into it. Don't ask Serena how she knew this, she just did. She watched in awed, horrified fascination as her body and its current user along with the entity of absolute darkness somehow floated around the accretion disk and the ergosphere of the black hole without falling in; much to the chagrin of all possible laws of physics. The black hole's event horizon had almost immediately accelerated to the point of attaining infinite motion and was now all-encompassing; drawing everything in the Omega Omnisphere into it like the truly irresistible force it was. She knew she should have been horrified beyond all measure, yet she knew that some way, somehow, this nightmare would be brought to an end.

She cringed as the black Mew knocked her body around while the world around her fell into the black hole at impossible speeds; yet took forever to do so at the same time due to the infinite gravitation effectively stopping the flow of time around Vaniville town forever more. The event horizon was now easily expanding past the confines of the Omniverse itself and stretching into the realm of complete absurdity, feeding off the omnipotent energies that created it and becoming perfectly self-sustaining yet also insatiably hungry for more. It very effectively put every other ultra-massive black hole in existence to complete and utter shame and threatened to swallow everything in creation like it was an all-you-can-eat-buffet. This was insane, how could anything survive that?! Serena couldn't even bring herself to believe what she was witnessing; yet nothing she had ever dreamed about could ever indicate that she'd have the imagination to dream this shit up. She knew somehow that this nightmare was all too real; and that the gods of the Pokémon universe were somehow involved. Next to all that, she was completely outclassed, or at least she should have been; yet somehow she was fighting back, her body had become a vessel for some kind of infinite power and was now doing all it could to avert this insane, omni-dimensional crisis.

"Come on my body snatching entity; you can do this," Serena prayed, silently pleading with the infinite pantheon of omnipotent gods across the Omega Omnisphere and the ON, which she knew about now; to bail them out of this impossible situation. She sent a silent prayer to Appaneesty himself to give her and her loved ones the strength to somehow live through this. She heard the black Mew chortle sadistically while addressing her almighty little helper. " _ **See, this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Behold the supreme force of nature that will destroy everything you, your beloved Ash, and Arceus himself cares about. If you can't stop it, this ultra-massive singularity will consume everything in totality, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out while you and I battle alongside this phenomena without falling in. No matter what you chosen champions of Arceus do you cannot and will not stop me! There is only one way this whole war can end, with my absolute rule of the Omega Omnisphere. I will become the Omniarch of Totality, or I will simply destroy it and remake it in my own image; either way I win. Now you fools can avert my plans, be there at every point in Totality to try and stop me, but it will only delay the inevitable; so why don't you save yourselves an eternity of pain and just offer your eternal subordination to me right now?! For once in your pathetic lives, actually take the easy way out, why drag it out my dear, sweet child?!**_ " the obsidian Mew spoke smoothly, evidently attempting to convey to Serena the futility of challenging him at all.

Serena listened as her body snatching inner goddess replied using her own mouth, and despite the fact that she should have felt violated by this invasive intelligence, the truth was she was just relieved that she didn't have to somehow find a way to beat this thing by herself, without any actual experience on how to use her newfound powers. Her abilities had long since expanded to encompass the realm of infinite possibilities as well as the realm of logical impossibilities themselves. She couldn't wrap her head around how much power and potential had been lying untapped inside of her this whole time, maybe even her whole life, but right now she was just glad she had this power because it may be able to save a whole helluva lot of lives.

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand Omninoir," her inner self replied haughtily, her voice ringing out even above the deafening gusts of impossibly fast winds and the black hole itself. Her voice was the most impossibly beautiful sound Serena had ever heard, like a chorus of angelic goddesses, and she found herself wondering if she had been this strong all along. Was this how she would have been if she had been given these powers at birth and trained with them since she was a little girl? Was her inner self a manifestation of the person she could've been had she had these powers her entire life? Surely that couldn't be possible could it, for as long as she could remember Serena had never felt like anything special; even with Ash always telling her that she'd go on to accomplish wonders beyond imagining. Yet now she knew that Ash had been right about her, he'd always been right about her; about everything really. Having him believe in her so strongly had inspired her to never give up, and she'd almost forgotten about that important life lesson when she had been consumed by that orb of blackness; but now she was reminded once again of just how much potential she and every person had in general. She swore then and there that if she got out of this she'd live the life she had always dreamed of living, and would do everything in her power to protect and preserve this world of infinite possibilities she now found herself in, for such a world was one worth truly fighting for, worth living in for all of time if she could.

Her musing within her own eternal mind was interrupted by her body snatcher's impossibly beautiful and attractive voice carrying on from her original statement. "You represent all that is wrong with the Omega Omnisphere, all of its evil, hopelessness, and despair; so don't stand there now and try to tell me this whole struggle is pointless, because you and I both know that is not true. You may be evil in its purest most supreme form; but I represent the lighter side of the Omnipotence Nexus, of the perpetual conflict between all good and evil everywhere. So long as there is life, so long as I draw breath in this body, the body of the remarkable young girl whom my existence has been and always will be tied to, then there will forever be hope," her inner God proclaimed valiantly, virtuously, in that hypnotic, insanely sweet angelic voice that could have every man on the planet falling to their knees in complete subservience towards her. Serena had started out as somewhat envious that this presence had been the one who gained all of the potential she could've had by now; but that moment she understood her inner self was tied to her and it still wasn't beyond her grasp to catch up to and even surpass her inner self. She'd have 18 years to make up and whatever gaps remained between the two of them while both of her personalities continued to improve; but all the better for it because now she had a better idea of what might have been if she had been living this lifestyle right from birth.

Omninoir merely chortled sadistically at his opponent's moving speech, interrupting Serena's train of though while the black Mew loomed over them cockily as if to address the situation they found themselves in. Everyone else in Vaniville town was forever frozen in time, the black hole slowly but surely drawing them all in and leaving them powerless to defend themselves. Relative to the people frozen in time, it would all happen instantly but to anyone lucky enough to escape the black hole, these people would fall through space for eternity, never able to escape the swirling maelstrom of pure gravitational force all around them. Only Serena's supremely deified body and the creature known as Omninoir remained perfectly mobile; so you can imagine how surprised Serena was when she saw two new players joining the game, and Omninoir growled in an annoyed tone as he came face to face with what he knew to be the Jewel of Life Arceus and the Primal Dialga that Ash Ketchum One Million had captured.

Now it seemed he was outnumbered three to one and Primal Dialga roared defiantly, sending a colossal, seemingly unending pillar of energy streaking towards the core of the black hole while Arceus and Serena became poised for battle. The vertical tower of pure energy from Dialga's roar sent an indefatigable barrage of anti-gravity particles spiraling towards the singularity with maximum prejudice. The air around them became almost weightless and the laws of gravity were rendered null and void as the clashing titans began to levitate above ground. Serena was tossed about inside her mindscape as her body snatching friend and Arceus kept Omninoir otherwise occupied and the entire world shook in response to the ensuing clashes of colossal strength.

XXXXX

The pervasive hole in the fabric of totality had long since enveloped every region of space as well as every sub-space frequency, and the sheer gravitational presence was drawing entire universes towards it like any truly irresistible force would. The pull of the ultra-massive black hole centered above earth was beginning to affect every dimension, causing a massive shift in the Omniverse's physical and metaphysical equilibrium alike. Entire multiverses and alternate metaphysical realms including heaven and hell would stream through and spaghettifi upon reaching the core of the black hole as easily and effortlessly as a single planet or star's light. Yet despite the horrifying, nightmarish surrealism of this situation; it was all too real and the singularity would continue feeding and would not stop for all of time even after the earth was long gone. If something wasn't done to stop it; eventually the Omega Omnisphere itself would fold in on its own rupture and be consumed like a five course entree.

In her own dimension, Arceus could feel the pull of the ultra-massive singularity; even a realm that was omni-locked outside of nearly everything such as hers wasn't safe and she knew it to. This was no ordinary black hole, it was created by two sources of infinite energy; more powerful than any star or universe, colliding at the speed of light and rupturing the Omega Omnisphere itself. It had enough energy to be perpetually self-sustaining and would continue to expand and engulf all things even if it had nothing to feed on for eons at a time. Despite being over-saturated with power its appetite was more insatiable than any black hole that could occur in nature. She knew she would have to get involved somehow; because if she didn't then everybody could die. This wasn't just a global crisis or even a city-wide crisis; this was an Omniversal or Omega Omnisphere encompassing disaster. This was the end game, if she let this thing carry on unopposed then it was automatic game-over for everything, anything, and nothingness as well.

Arceus had long since had her jewel of life returned to her and before opting the join the ever-growing roster of Ash Ketchum, her father the original Arceus of the one millionth parallel universe had endowed her with the full powers of their species and given her all of the life plates needed to create her own omni plate. This in turn would allow her to access her ascension form if need be; a form that was absolutely invincible by its fundamental nature, unless the omnipotence paradox was involved of course. That paradox was a technicality that could completely invalidate her own supremacy if she wasn't careful. Now though it seemed like the challenge she was about to face would be at least equal to what she was capable of even in this ultimate form of hers. She knew she needed to hurry, for the Chosen Champions her father had selected were scattered across the earth and were being kept separated and preoccupied by an omnimalevolent presence that had haunted her nightmares ever since she was a hatchling.

Growing up, she had known that the Omninoir species were designed by the Ultra-Verse's Creator to act as the antithesis to her own, acting as the direct opposite of the supreme beings that all Arceus in the Ultra-Verse became upon reaching a level of infinity. It was all for maintaining the Balance of power in the Omnipotence Nexus, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Now it seemed Omninoir was willing to destroy everything in order to ensure his absolute rule, but surely he must have understood the folly of being a king without a kingdom; or was there more to this whole situation than she was sensing? She supposed the only way to find out was to travel to earth and help avert this infinite crisis herself.

With that goal in mind, Arceus created a stable wormhole connecting to infinite times, universes, and realities and floated right through it; concentrating on the one millionth universe's version of earth. She honed in on the humans and Pokémon that thrived on the planet and were depending on someone like her to help save them. She kept her virtually all-seeing third eye on the ultra-massive singularity that was continuously expanding without end. With her destination set firmly inside her mind, Arceus vanished within the gateway into Omniversal space-time itself and felt it disappear behind her with a loud _pop_...

XXXXX

The instant Ash and Amber reappeared outside of Sycamore's Pokémon lab and felt Omninoir's chilling presence up close and personal; the Pallet town prodigy immediately knew his sense of foreboding earlier had been spot on. Amber's grip on his hand tightened as both of them realized the entire world had gone almost completely dark; the planet's gravity levels had become immeasurable and the highest concentration of gravitons wasn't far from here. It was drawing all the lights in the city towards it as Ash's all-seeing peepers allowed him to see the beams of light from street lights and various buildings all around them being stretched like elastic away from their energy sources and disappearing into a swirling maelstrom of total darkness and gravitational force in the distance; growing bigger and bigger without any sign of slowing down or stopping. If anything, its rate of expansion seemed to be increasing more than should have been possible; meaning its startup energy must have been positively phenomenal.

Ash could feel the planet and the Omniverse itself shifting outside of its equilibrium; falling completely out of balance in all the worst ways possible. Everything was transitioning towards death and destruction; the scales were being tipped in favor of the negatives in every duality; the mysterious entity known as the Balance, if she existed, was going to have her work cut out for her unless Ash did something about it. And that was just the _metaphysical_ equilibrium of the Omniverse, Ash could sense that it was being just as messed up _physically_ as well. It took mere nanoseconds for him to fully assess the seriousness of this situation and when he did he immediately created a field of anti-gravitons around the entire planet. He breathed a sigh of relief as the black hole's attempts to feed on the planet were slowed but knew it was only a temporary fix. He'd need to think of a more permanent solution but right now he had too much on his plate and Omninoir wasn't going to wait around while he figured out a way to stop both him and the all-powerful force of nature that he'd wrought. The most horrifying thing in his mind was the location of the black hole itself; which was centered above none other than Vaniville town, hence his horror due to it being where Serena was located right now.

"Ash what's going on?!" Amber whispered fearfully, her earlier playfulness towards him completely gone; which in his opinion was completely understandable given what was occurring. Omninoir was waiting for them inside of Sycamore's lab, and Ash could sense the Omega Pokémon 's gleeful arrogance from out here as Ash realized his Arceus's ancient nemesis had a hand in this. He had some suspicions regarding Omninoir and Amber's apparent Omega Omnisphere Championship status that he wanted to verify but did Amber really want to be here for this? If his guess was correct, and they very nearly always were; then Omninoir was Amber's childhood Boogieman, the very same monster that slaughtered her family. "I don't know, somehow an ultra-massive singularity has torn a hole in the sky above Vaniville town. And I don't want to scare you Amber, but this thing is giving off some serious juice. I'm talking enough energy and electron volts to put all the other ultra-massive black holes in the Omniverse to complete and utter shame. This is no ordinary singularity; it's a rupture in the Omega Omnisphere itself. If we don't find a way to stop it, then the entity behind this vibe of pure evil will be the least of our problems," Ash explained in a horrified whisper. His voice was weighed down with a million different emotions and Amber instantly noticed his eyes darkening and his whole demeanor changing to fit the apocalyptic scenery laid out before them. Ash mentally cursed Omninoir for all he was worth upon realizing the aspiring Omniarch was willing to destroy the Omniverse itself in order to realize his goals.

Something felt off about this whole situation, because as evil as he was Omninoir was not omnicidal. Surely he must have understood the folly of being a king without a kingdom. If Ash didn't know any better he'd say there was an even greater evil power at work here; but Omninoir was meant to be the pinnacle of all that was or ever could be evil, wasn't he?! He didn't want Amber to connect the dots he was already tying together, but from her expression he could tell she was having some flashbacks from her childhood. It occurred to him that Omninoir's unholy, omnimalevolent aura might have felt familiar to her in the most horrifying ways conceivable. He still hadn't told Amber much of anything about the Omega Pokémon ; he hadn't even mentioned his name to anyone because Arceus didn't want to cause planet-wide panic. ' _Fat load of good that's doing us now, people are already terrified and they should be; if they knew even half as much about what Omninoir is capable of as I do then they would have every God damn right to be absolutely petrified,_ ' Ash thought darkly as he realized he'd need to clear up a few things with Amber before they faced this thing together.

"This is insane," Amber said simply, and Ash figured that about summed it all up. Taking her hands in his own and making her face him, Ash assumed the most determined expression he could muster while deciding on a whim that she had the right to know what they were up against here. "I promise you I'll find a way to stop the singularity and Omninoir Amber. That's the name of this entity we're about to face right now, and I might be wrong but I suspect he is the very same boogieman from your past that murdered your family in cold blood; so if you're having second thoughts about this I will not blame you for one second if you want to wait out here. I can even assign one of my Pokémon to protect you, just understand that while you and I are Omega Omnisphere Champions of Pokémon Omninoir exists as an antithesis to our kind and the various godlike Pokémon species across the Ultra-Verse that exist to help the Double-O Champs," Ash reassuringly explained to her. Amber blanched as white as a skull for just a moment, before she somehow managed to force a coherent sentence past her fear-induced paralysis. "Answer me honestly Ash, how do you rate your chances of beating him on your own," she asked him in a voice that was surprisingly forceful despite her almost broken expression. "Honestly, my chances of beating him alone are not that great; but I've damned the laws of probability many times since my deification Amber and I've overcome impossible odds before. Remember what I told you about Team Plasma and the rampage of Unlimited Kyurem, the original Unovian dragon? I've faced gods and monsters of the omnipotent caliber before, and I've yet to be defeated so..." Ash paused as he let the sentence hang while trying to still his banging heart. He allowed precisely five seconds or so for Amber's mind to catch up to what he was saying, they simply didn't have much time to waste.

Arceus's telepathic voice echoed through both of their minds, startling Amber and grabbing Ash's attention. ' _Maybe you won't have to send one of your Pokémon to protect young miss Valentino Ash; send one of your strongest Pokémon to deal with the Singularity while we all work together to fend off Omninoir,_ ' the Alpha Pokémon suggested as Amber decided to hold off on asking which Pokémon of Ash's had spoken to them just now. Ash nodded mutely while contemplating who to send; it would have to be a legendary with power reality-warping abilities who could content with the absolute might of that black hole to end all black holes.

' _Send me Ash_ ," Dialga's metallic, rasping voice suddenly volunteered as Ash thought it over; his telepathic voice like the scraping of metal on metal as he got ready to assume his primal form from within the confines of his master ball. Amber was at a complete loss to think much of anything aside from the fact that a black hole was eating away at her old hometown. She had never wanted to leave that life behind her and the fact that the last ties she had to her old life was being threatened aside from Sylveon and Serena was more than she could stomach at the moment.

"Alright, Dialga I choose you," Ash suddenly called out, ignoring the startled screams from passers by trying to find shelter from the oncoming doomsday. The temporal Pokémon emerged in a blinding sphere of white light; floating above the streets of the metropolis and blending in with the cover of unnatural darkness that the black hole was causing. The instant he fully manifested Dialga became encapsulated in an entombment of raw primal reversion energy; a massive golden shell forming a cocoon around it while a blinding white infinity symbol embroidered itself around the middle of the oval shaped egg.

The egg grew to about twice Dialga's natural size and cracked little by little revealing Primal Dialga in all of his eternal glory. Primal Dialga was easily twice as large as he was in his normal form; almost forty feet tall with golden veins of unlimited cosmic energy running across its body in complicated patterns instead of the usual blue, searing, molten gold eyes that shone brighter than even the most ultra-luminous quasars and which no mortal being could ever look into unless they wished to be burned into nothingness. The power to bend the Omega Omnisphere's reality rolled off it unabated in cascading waves, like a tsunami that washed away everything else and ruined entire coastlines like it was going out of style. The untamed nature of his godlike powers would be enough to terrify any person who didn't know him as well as Ash did to death; yet Ash knew that was just how primal reversion worked sometimes. Dialga himself was more instinct prone and beast-like in this form, he was an almighty force of nature yet Ash knew he was more rational and sentient than he let on.

' _SO WHAT'S THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION FOR STOPPING THE UNSTOPPABLE_ ,' Dialga roared in pure defiance, his personality reflecting his feral nature as Ash decided to take it from there while Amber stared up at the behemoth standing before them. The entire city was staying indoors and people all around them screamed about the end of the world; a statement that could become eerily accurate if Ash and his plethora of virtually invincible super Pokémon didn't find a way to stop the singularity.

"If you can create an unlimited number of anti-gravitons using your omnificence and fire them point blank at the core of the black hole, you may be able to neutralize it completely, or at least slow it down," Ash explained after the briefest of moments spent pondering the problem. ' _AND IF THAT ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH_ ,' Dialga continued in his absurdly loud and powerful telepathic shouts. Ash answered almost immediately, sensing his Pokémon was eager to help avert this crisis and knowing that time was of the essence. "Then you'll have to try and disrupt its motion," Ash answered back with a level of calmness that belied his racing heart. Lexie-Amber stared at Ash in utter befuddlement upon hearing this, "how in the hell is he going to do that Ash, I thought you said that thing's energy was essentially limitless," she inquired desperately, as Primal Dialga voiced his agreement and Ash formulated a response to that as well almost instantly; knowing that they didn't have time to go over the details of everything and needing them to hurry. "Then you'll have to achieve an infinite motion in order to disrupt its own, use your speed to add to its angular momentum; basically you need to run around the inside of it in the opposite direction and cut off its legs! You'd have to achieve truly _astronomical_ velocities in order to move within the eye of the storm countless times in the same exact instant! Dialga, I need to know that you can do this!" Ash stated emphatically.

Amber could only watch in total amazement as Primal Dialga, a being she didn't even know about the existence of until now; stared at Ash as though he were insulted that his trainer would ever question his abilities. And with that all taken care of the legendary entity vanished inside a portal that opened up on Dialga's command. With the God of all Time gone and dealing with the problem in Vanville town; Amber and Ash were left to deal with the problem here in Lumiose city as Ash boldly strolled inside the hostile building without so much as a second's hesitation. Amber didn't even bother asking him to wait up and followed him inside, pondering the universe's most unanswerable question to herself as her heartbeat sped up uncontrollably and the temperature dropped to almost unbearable levels.

"Well come on then, let's go meet the neighbors," Ash casually stated to her with a mad, shit-eating grin on his face while she briefly noted how calm he was outwardly appearing. She briefly wondered to herself what sort of underlying emotions lurked just beneath that facade of his, she reckoned he was as scared as she was and for damn good reason. How did one even stop the unstoppable; was it even possible for two invincible beings to destroy each other, and for that matter, was the simple fact that there was more than one of them enough to invalidate their supposed supremacy? Ash had told her about the omnipotence paradox and some things about Omninoir. She knew that was the same monster who had destroyed her family and her life; she'd known from the moment she felt that unearthly, demonic presence of his. But as scared as she was for herself right now, and despite not knowing if they could prevail against such a foe as Omninoir or how the stakes had suddenly gotten so unbelievably high; she knew the desperation to save her world and by extension the entire Omniverse simply outweighed that fear and uncertainty.

It had to, otherwise they were all as good as dead and even if she didn't know if she could live up to this whole Omega Omnisphere Championship mantel that had been thrust upon her she somehow felt as though Ash was going to need her help in the fight to come. She didn't know how she knew this, she just felt compelled beyond logic and reason to fight by his side, and something deeper than gut instinct or intuition told her that he couldn't win the upcoming war without her. She didn't ask for his help without intending to help him some way in return, and maybe this was more than she initially agreed to; but that didn't stop her. Lysandre was one thing, he was a human being with delusions of grandeur and an omnicidal side to him but he was still a human being; Omninoir was the Anti-God of the Pokémon universe and the personification of the very same darkness and evil that drove Lysandre to commit all the horrible atrocities he had done in his life. So maybe she was crazy for doing what she was about to do with Ash; maybe people would question her sanity afterward, hell she might have even done so, but Ash was knee deep in situations that no ordinary person could understand and she felt like he couldn't deal with them alone forever. He was going to need allies, friends, and maybe even lovers to get him through these impossible scenarios; and no matter how impressive his abilities he couldn't do everything alone...

XXXXX

Bonnie felt the world quaking all around them as she and the others waited on baited breath for the inevitable arrival of Ash; the creature called Omninoir was busy admiring his new and improved Garchomp vessel all the while fully aware of their impending reinforcements. Bonnie had tried willing Ash away from this place and had planned to tell him to run as far away from here as possible; but even if she could have moved a single muscle in her body after Omninoir rendered them all prisoners in time or something, she somehow knew that Ash, her hope for a better future, would never take the coward's way out.

She may have only just met him, and she may not have known him very well; but she was good enough at reading people to know Ash would sooner risk dying himself than leave the rest of the planet to its fate. She had no doubt he was powerful enough to leave earth if he wanted to; but she also knew he would never prioritize his own safety above the safety of the world. So despite her fearing for his sake, she wouldn't have her new friend any other way. Besides if anybody could stop Omninoir it was the extraordinary young man who possessed psychic and spiritual abilities. Given that and the power of his Pokémon , she found herself wondering if Ash was a man of unlimited means; or if he was truly as limited in the full scope of his abilities as he claimed to be when he was explaining their mechanics to her and her brother.

Froakie, Brock, Clement, and the others were all likewise prisoners in their own bodies as well; Omninoir had invoked some kind of time freeze spell or something on them and Bonnie would have called him all sorts of childish insults had her mouth not been frozen with the rest of her body. One would wonder where Bonnie picked up her inexplicable talents and maturity for her age; but frankly it was just her being a by-product of her environment, nothing more nothing less. She certainly wasn't some super god like Ash was.

Just mere seconds ago she had felt an absurdly strong presence of raw, untamed power rolling over all of them and across the entire city; she'd never felt such an enormous rush of strength in all her life. Unfortunately, despite her currently manic energy levels she was powerless to break free of the spell she found herself trapped in. In fact that rush of power had only seemed to strengthen the spell itself the same way; almost as if the presence behind it couldn't even control who or what he or she empowered. As it was, she and the others were stuck waiting for Ash and his new girlfriend to arrive on the scene. Omninoir was busy being an asshole of colossal proportions; not to mention those three heartless Team Flare grunts who had threatened them and Ash's Raichu barely six hours ago, the lightning mouse having disappeared with the duo at some point.

Bonnie's train of thought was derailed by Ash and Lexie's abrupt appearance on the scene within the entrance hall to Sycamore's lab; having come in through the front entrance behind the gigantic supped up version of Garchomp. Bonnie was so happy and relieved that she wanted to cry, especially when Ash spoke up; grabbing everyone's attention in the dramatic fashion that only someone like him could.

"Sorry I'm late, you wouldn't believe the storm out there. An ultra-massive black hole standing just a few hundred feet above us, how crazy is that huh?" Ash quipped as Lexie's eyes widened at the ultra powerful Garchomp towering over them. All of them could feel Omninoir's tremendous presence radiating palpable glee as the giant dragon he was using as a vessel spun around on the spot; the ground shaking from its footfalls as he leered down at the newcomers with omnimalevolent euphoria.

" _ **Ash Ketchum 1 Million, we meet at last,**_ " Omninoir conversed as though discussing this serious matter with the boy over drinks. Said boy's mask of indifference faded to a look of pure rage as he addressed his nemesis, "What do you want with Garchomp and the other Pokémon ?!" Bonnie heard him demand, a dangerous edge to his voice, like a planet sized volcano about to erupt.

Omninoir's vessel grinned mirthlessly, his mouth filled with razor sharp teeth and big enough to swallow both Ash and Lexie whole; yet somehow Ash wasn't exhibiting any signs of fear even as Lexie quivered beside him; unable to come to terms with just how much malice this thing was giving off and more terrified of him than anyone else in the room was at the moment. " _ **My goals are beyond your understanding boy**_ ," Omninoir proclaimed arrogantly, his draconian form stomping menacingly towards them at over ten feet tall. Yet Ash was not deterred as he grinned up at the behemoth like a total madman, his golden eyes filled with such intelligence and mad enlightenment that Bonnie had the feeling he understood what Omninoir's goals were perfectly.

"Oh I don't know... I'm a pretty smart guy; what with my absolute intellect, nigh omniscience, infinite mindscape, and all that stuff. Comes in pretty handy if you ask me, especially in situations such as this," Ash rambled on as Amber stared at him in utter disbelief. She simply could not fathom how Ash could stand there as bold as brass, conversing so nonchalantly with the supreme force of evil itself made incarnate; he was either completely bonkers, stupidly brave, or maybe a bit of both. Omninoir chuckled mirthlessly and with perfect coolness much the same as his nemesis, as if he had all the time in the world and given his alleged godhood he probably did.

" _ **You're stalling while trying to find a way to beat me, all the while attempting to give your Primal Dialga enough time to stop the singularity two towns away from the city. I do commend you on your ability to never shut up however,**_ " Omninoir bantered with casual indifference, everyone waiting on baited breath as the tension between the two warring beings continued to build to a crescendo, the inevitable battle only moments away as Ash almost immediately quipped back with equal wit to his opponent. "Yeah well, if there's one thing I can do its talk; I've got an infinite number of languages at my disposal and you've got no way of stopping me. With the exception of the Source Dialect, which defies any and all means of translation; I'm certainly the biggest chatterbox you'll ever meet. You are somewhat right about the stalling part, though that's not the only reason I am having this lively chat," Ash commented airily. Before Omninoir could ask him to elaborate Ash's subtle anti-time freezing spells took effect and Bonnie and the others suddenly found that they could move again.

Omninoir was distracted from Ash for a split-second upon noticing the others moving, and that's when Ash struck. Mimicking the powers of a maximally strong fighting type Pokémon , Ash's fist became bathed in an ultra-luminous white light as he launched a full powered focus punch; the concentration of power and energy so immense it tore the Omniverse a new asshole and sent the possessed Garchomp tearing through the roof of the laboratory and catapulting into orbit at hundreds of thousands of times the speed of sound before anyone could even blink.

Deciding that he needed to take this opportunity to buy some more time and speak with his friends; Ash speed up everyone's inertial frames of reference infinitum instead of risking the invalidation of his powers by trying to manipulate Omninoir. Bonnie and the others stared at where Ash had sent Omninoir pummeling through the roof and then at the falling debris from the hole in the lab itself, which had become forever suspended in space, or at least until Ash's little magic trick wore off and Omninoir came at them full speed. The expressions on their faces would have been funny if the situation hadn't been so dire, and Ash was surprised when Bonnie recovered and found her voice first; addressing Ash's recent display of inhuman abilities and watching the whole world stop turning all around her in pure, unbridled astonishment, looking pale and like she was going to pass out from the shock value alone.

"What did you do?!" she simply asked, though very loudly and in a very high pitched tone. Ash knew he didn't have much time and could feel Omninoir beginning to catch on to what he was doing. "I sped up our inertial frames of reference to infinity using my Mana to buy us enough time to discuss a game plan. But it won't slow Omninoir down forever; he is appearing completely non moving relative to us right now but he'll catch on and speed up himself so we need to make this fast guys!" Ash shouted imploringly as Clement nodded in understanding first.

"I'd say you're amazing for doing all this but I don't think that would quite cover it, so what happened to Garchomp," Sycamore queried worriedly as Ash found himself hesitating to answer, knowing he had to reassure the man somehow. "Professor I swear I will do everything in my power to secure Garchomp's freedom from the influence of her possessor, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to. Just know that whatever Garchomp ends up doing will not be of her own free will, she'll be under duress until I manage to free her so nothing that happens from this point is her fault in the slightest," Ash explained with a series of emphatic gestures to make his point; not wanting to get the esteemed Pokémon professor's hopes up and almost managing a smile when Sycamore nodded in perfect understanding before grinning.

"Well if you're going to do everything in your power then I reckon this situation will be dealt with within the hour," Sycamore said, praising Ash's abilities as a trainer and as a person in general as Raichu remained firmly fastened on his shoulder and Brock cleared his throat to get his old friend's attention. "Well Ash, I can honestly say that this isn't too unlike some of the other end of the world scenarios we've faced. You've saved the world dozens of times and I have no doubt you can do it again this time," Brock said with complete confidence in his oldest friend's abilities. Froakie looked at Ash with shock upon hearing this and realized he may have finally found the trainer he'd been searching for all this time. So Ash was more than just a powerful trainer he had used his powers to help save the planet in times long since passed. If that was true then Ash may have been more than Froakie could have ever hoped for.

For once Ash wasn't sure Brock was right and didn't hesitate to explain the reality of the situation. "It's not just our world that's in danger though Brock; the whole of creation is at stake this time and I just don't know if I can stop what's about to happen," he admitted with genuine uncertainty and fear as Amber clasped his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Look I may not have known you very long Ash but we can help you; you don't have to face this threat alone," she whispered gently and comfortingly. Ash immediately shook his head at her suggestion, "absolutely not Amber, I appreciate the offer for you guys to come with me but this is my fight. This whole city is ground zero and I want you all out of here," he stated authoritatively. Unfortunately for him they all immediately shot his warning down.

"If you're not leaving and abandoning Lumiose city than neither are we. Heck it's my home and Clement's, isn't that right Clement?!" Bonnie shouted stubbornly as Clement put a hand on her shoulder; none of them noticing the fact that Ash had called Amber by her real name and not by her made up alias or maybe they just didn't care. "Bonnie now may not be the best time for us to get involved," Clemont whispered imploringly as Bonnie gave him a look that indicated betrayal. Ash meanwhile was left without too many viable options and no time to argue with the stubbornly reckless and willful little girl. Nevertheless, this wasn't just his fight he supposed, and with the whole of creation at stake he was going to need everybody he could throw at this thing and then some. He wasn't sure how much use Clement or Bonnie could be on the actual battlefield; and despite being hesitant to admit it Ash knew his Raichu would have easily curb stomped Clement's Bunnelby had those Team Flare grunts not interrupted. He also knew he didn't have a moment to spare in order to argue, and simply opted to keep the two of them safe while contemplating a thousand different ways to stop Omninoir.

"Alright then, Clement, Bonnie, you two are with me, stay close and leave the fighting to me and my strongest Pokémon . Froakie, I want you to stick to Raichu like glue and observe me and my Pokémon in the heat of battle; with a bit of luck you'll get an idea of what you'll be capable of with my help assuming you accept it. Brock, I want you on damage control and to head the evacuations; if officer Jenny questions you about what's going on tell her the leader of the Pokémon G-men instructed you to assist with the evacuation. Amber, I want you to stay here and help the professor fend off those three grunts being controlled by Omninoir; they left when we got here but I can sense that they're on their way back to fight us with Pokémon of the Anti-God's own design. Raichu, you're with me to alright buddy?" Ash instructed his new team as everyone nodded or shouted in affirmation and acquiescence to his commands. Froakie's eyes were shining with adoration upon hearing Ash's instructions, hoping that his hopefully would-be trainer wasn't dangling maybes and actually planned to befriend him. Ash had saved his life after all, but it wasn't just because Froakie owed him that the frog-like Pokémon was considering joining Ash after so many years of rejecting weak willed trainers, Froakie also believed Ash may have been the only trainer on earth who could have made him the strongest Froakie and eventually Greninja, even the strongest level infinity Greninja, that the world had ever or would ever see.

"Um Ash, why are you calling her Amber; I thought her name was Lexie," Bonnie pointed out, as everyone suddenly realized she had noticed that subtle difference when they did not and were curious themselves. Amber shuffled nervously and with obvious discomfort as Ash decided to save her the trouble of explaining her whole life story once again; especially since he didn't know if Omninoir was listening or not. "I'll explain it all later you guys but it is Amber's story here to tell and only if she feels safe enough to do so; right now we've got more pressing concerns and I'd like to get started on fortifying the city and taking the fight to Omninoir," Ash hastily spoke to keep everybody focused on what was more important right now as they all nodded in understanding; the lot of them deciding to hold off on some long overdue conversations in the wake of this terrifying apocalyptic scenario.

**_Raichu maintained a death grip on his trainer's shoulder, squeaking with sheer determination to help out his most trusted partner while Brock immediately shot out the door; leaving Ash and the others ready to go and true to Ash's word the three puppets of Omninoir reappeared at the foot of the stairs leading to the higher floors of the laboratory, their auras ones of pure malice and power. The grunt in the middle was clutching onto what looked like the same type of dark ball the Iron Masked Marauder from years ago was famous for; the shadow Pokémon within an extension of Omninoir's own infinite will and thus impossible to capture. Bonnie and Clement didn't even question Ash's crazily enhanced senses at this point; quite frankly this whole situation was insane and the fact that someone was able to deal with this insanity was comforting enough even if some of the stuff that had happened thus far was mind boggling to contemplate._ **

Ash's time freeze spell wore off just as Lexie stood by for battle with the three possessed mind slaves and Omninoir flew off into the city using Garchomp as his main vessel of ultimate power. As they were running by his side out into the wider areas throughout the city, Bonnie and Clement brought Ash up to speed on what happened along the way; Clement huffing and puffing and unable to keep up as Bonnie carried on talking and running. The Pallet town trainer managed to multi-task reasonably well, but was focusing most of his attention on Garchomp's retreating form, horror overtaking him as it fired a massive series of Omega Omnisphere distorting disks and blades of energy all over the city, a move he recognized as Primal Palkia's Totality Wrecker; an all-powerful dragon type move that negated fairy type immunities and was super effective against all existing Pokémon types. It was one of the most powerful dragon type moves in existence, and its power was enough to cleave through entire skyscrapers and topple them at the base, which forced Ash to intervene as he sensed the life force of thousands of people within each and every building destroyed, Omninoir cackling like an infinitely psychotic version of the Hobgoblin or the Joker.

Taking off at the speed of light and leaving Bonnie and Clement forever immobile in space-time among the absolute darkness of the event horizon in the sky above them, Ash knew they were safe for now and quickly enveloped the entire city in his own personal anti-gravity field, as discretely as he could muster in the hopes that Omninoir wouldn't notice it and destroy it. Breaking the light barrier by about eight times, Ash ran straight through the buildings while their toppling forms stood in suspended animation high above him. Ash's entire body began vibrating at the natural frequency of air and allowed him to phase through solid objects while he literally ran on air as though it were solid ground for his feet. His motion became impossible to disrupt by any means and allowed him to super speed across anything, any surface, including friction-less surfaces, across water, on air, and even across the vast cosmos of the Omniverse itself.

Omninoir was the only thing besides Ash still moving from the Pallet town champion's perspective and the ultra powerful Garchomp flew straight for the top of Prism tower in the very heart of the city, the heart of Kalos itself. Ash made haste to evacuate the people from the building, maintaining his current light barrier breaking speed, he meta-teleported everyone within every toppled building all at once; knowing he needed to find some kind of safe haven to transport them all to all at once that could hold them comfortably without seriously freaking them out or something.

Quickly tapping into his infinite mindscape to find a place big enough to hold them all, Ash instantly became aware of the fact that the Lumiose Pokémon Coliseum which hosted many of Diantha's exhibition matches was big enough to hold all of the people and quickly sent them all there in an instant. With all of the people saved and the massive blades of Omega Omnisphere distorting energy dispatched by a wave of his hand, Ash undid the damage to the buildings by tapping into his omni-countering abilities, using his ability to counter and be the direct opposite of everything and anything in totality in order to embody infinite creation, meta regeneration, and omniversal preservation as opposed to Omninoir's infinite destruction. Immediately, the damage to the massive skyscrapers happened in reverse, like someone had pushed the rewind button on the entire vicinity. Watching it all happen in reverse before resuming play without the Totality Wrecker attack being there to level them once again was rather comical, and if he had the time Ash might have commended his own quick thinking while dealing with the situation, but alas he wasn't in this for the glory or because he had a chip on his shoulder. If he had wanted people to appreciate what he did or... Arceus forbid, put him on a pedestal and worship him; he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to hide the full range of his powers.

He furrowed his eyebrows upon realizing that Omninoir was merely toying with him. Ash knew full well just how weak that Totality Wrecker had been in comparison to the fully powered version of Primal Palkia's attack. Omninoir hadn't been looking to destroy the city or the world, or as its name suggested, the entire Omega Omnisphere itself; he wanted to prove to Ash that nothing, not even tapping into Primal Palkia's vast godlike powers, was beyond his reach. But in the immortal words of the New Island Mew he captured and all of her infinite wisdom, one didn't prove anything by showing off a lot of special powers; a Pokémon 's true strength came from the heart.

Speaking of Pokémon , Raichu was clinging to his shoulder ever so tightly and the rest of his remaining Pokémon were all itching to fight Omninoir from within their Pokeballs. Even Froakie was shaking with excitement, anticipation, and hope that after all was said and done he would have found the one trainer who could help him master his true potential and become a level infinity member of his species. Ash could sense his first Mewtwo's heart swelling with warmth, tenderness, and love upon sensing his trainer thinking about his mate, the very Mew who had faced off against him back on New Island. Funny how their relationship had changed so drastically from what it was at first; they had gone from enemies on the battle field, to grudging allies upon joining Ash's ever growing roster, to frenemies, to friendly rivals, to flirtatious would-be mates, and finally to full blown mates, each one bearing the others signature mating mark and bonded for life via an unbreakable marriage contract AKA soul bond. This phenomenon was far more common in the world of Pokémon than amongst the humans, but human soul bonds were not unheard of either.

' _Ash, focus on the task at hand, and for God's sake, let one of us fight that bastard_ ," Groudon roared in a challenging tone, and Ash telepathically communed with and scanned all of his current Pokémon at once, trying to sense which one of them wanted to help him fight the most, and that's when he felt a little pinging in his head when his all-powerful mind linked with Primal Palkia's, the very Pokémon who's signature move Omninoir was making a mockery of in his futile efforts to try and intimidate Ash.

At that moment, time resumed its normal pace as Bonnie and Clement both seemed to realize that Ash was now super far ahead of them; meanwhile Ash himself knew just how much help he truly had in this fight now, maybe it wasn't so hopeless after all. Plucking Palkia's master ball from his team belt, Ash released the bipedal dinosaur-like deity in a flash of multicolored light; just in time for Bonnie and Clement to see their new friend's legendary Pokémon the moment they caught up. Clement's jaw dropped rather comically while Bonnie's eyes shone with absolute awe and wonderment, like a kid who had seen the Santa Delibird delivering presents with their own eyes. Palkia meanwhile, immediately began the transformation into his primal form, an identical golden cocoon with an infinity symbol encapsulating him as what had encased Dialga no more than ten minutes ago. A blinding flash of light illuminated the perpetual darkness of the event horizon as Palkia's Lustrous orb unlocked and awakened his true power, the Omega Omnisphere forever his bitch as the same wild, untameable, uncontrollable variant of the supreme power cascaded over the city itself and rolled over all of them totally unabated, not beholden to anything or anyone and completely free.

Bonnie's sharp intake of breath was matched only by her brother's collapsing from sheer shock beside her; the two of them barely able to remain conscious in the wake of the enormity of this situation. Ash had captured one of the most powerful Pokémon in the universe, a legendary being who was worshiped as one of the gods of the Pokémon world, and who apparently had many other hidden powers that no one knew about until now. As she made sure her brother was okay and tried to retain her mental faculties, Palkia finally emerged from the cocoon like structure that had formed around it, and not only did it look different; it was at least twice as big now as it had been before Ash surprised them in such a manner.

It's entire color scheming had changed, the lighter pinkish white parts of its plated, scaly body remained much the same; but the darker pink lines along its arms, legs, and other parts of its body, along with its pearls, had turned to a beautiful, metallic, almost molten gold. On top of that its eyes shone brighter than any earthly light could ever hope to be; and she immediately averted her eyes as instinct told her to avoid looking directly into them at all costs.

Knowing that every minute was crucial, Ash decided to help Bonnie and Clement deal with their obvious shock later, taking to the skies telekinetically alongside Palkia who simply took advantage of the anti-gravity field neutralizing the vast concentration of gravitons forming the black hole and defied gravity outright. Luckily for them the entire city hadn't become some kind of zero gravity metropolis like some of the futuristic cities Ash had seen in all his infinite perception; in fact, it was all the anti-gravity field could do to keep Lumiose from falling into the singularity or its pervasive event horizon.

"You guys we need to keep moving, I know there's probably a lot for us to discuss after the fact but literally everything in totality is at stake right now so you don't have time to be standing there gawking at my roster of living legends," Ash explained as rationally as he could muster as Bonnie and Clement almost immediately recovered from the stupor they were in. "Right, priorities," Clement stammered, summing up their thoughts perfectly as Palkia shrieked impatiently and with a tone of utmost urgency. Froakie was amazed that the trainer who saved his life had managed to befriend a being whom was as widely revered by Pokémon as he was by the human populace, if not even more so. To Pokémon like Froakie, Palkia represented all that Pokémon had once been and all they had the potential to be; but unlike regular run of the mill Pokémon legends like Palkia were able to attune to and realize their infinite potential with a ridiculous level of ease.

Quickly floating up on Palkia's back and fastening himself on his seven-foot neck as securely as possible, Ash ushered the blonde haired siblings to follow suit as both barely so much as batted an eye before Bonnie climbed on herself and Ash helped Clement up telekinetically. Froakie simply hopped up between Palkia's small wing-like shoulder blades in a single, smooth motion. With the three of them along with Froakie's chameleon feet allowing it to cling to Palkia like a gecko, Ash kicked his legs up against either side of Palkia's neck like an African rider might do with an elephant or a Rhyhorn racer like Grace Yvonne herself.

With a mighty roar that shook the entire city at its very foundations and caused the very air itself to vibrate uncontrollably, Palkia kicked off into the air above the city and gained altitude at impossible speeds. Clement held onto the legend's neck for dear life while Bonnie maintained her grip around Ash's waist. Only the seriousness of the situation kept the nine-year-old girl from whooping in pure, absolute joy, ecstasy, and euphoria. This was by far one of the best experiences of her young life, and she would have to ask Ash for another ride on Palkia with him on a more peaceful day. She only hoped he would oblige.

' _SHOULD I ACTIVATE MY INFINITY DOME ASH_ ,' Primal Palkia's extremely loud, overbearing, and boisterous telepathic voice echoed noisily in Ash's mind as well as Clement and Bonnie; the latter of whom attempted to plug her ears before realizing the voice was coming from inside her head. Ash shook his head while putting a hand over Bonnie's own, her arms not long enough to fit all the way around his waist as he held her hand reassuringly. "No, not just yet Pal, wait until we catch up to old smoke and choke," Ash gritted, the wind and the g-force generated by Palkia acceleration whipping at his indestructible face as said legendary Pokémon picked up the pace.

Quickly expanding his g-force adaptation powers to Bonnie and Clement, Ash began absorbing the negative effects of the g-force that would have instantly killed any ordinary mortal being. Ash could sense that the two of them were barely maintaining their grip on reality and wished for a moment that he could take this fight to Omninoir by himself. In all truthfulness, Ash was fully accustomed to being knee deep in situations that humans just... didn't understand, but Clement and Bonnie, being in such a situation where literally everything was at stake was probably too much for them to safely handle without damaging their mental stability and health.

' _You guys I promise I'll get us out of this in one piece,_ ' Ash promised them telepathically, hearing Bonnie immediately project her thoughts on the matter and maintaining his telepathic connection to her and her brother. ' _Do you seriously deal with stuff like this every day?! I don't think I could handle it if this is what every day is like for you_ ,' Bonnie admitted mentally, knowing Ash would somehow hear her as Clement sighed and Ash struggled to formulate a response.

' _Not every day, believe it or not this is actually one of the worst types of days I've ever had. Things can and will settle down Bonn-Bonn, I promise,_ ' Ash reassured her, using her little nickname rather fondly as Bonnie hugged him tighter, evidently conveying her absolute refusal to leave him to fight this thing alone. Ash was already having second thoughts about bringing the two of them into a full blown war, especially when the Omega Omnisphere as a whole was at stake and the ultimate prize for the winner was becoming the Omniarch of totality. ' _Arceus, I just don't know what I should do; Bonnie and Clement have no experience with this kind of thing and they're little more than cannon fodder in the actual fighting. Yet Bonnie refuses to let me do this alone, and truth be told I don't want to spend eternity fighting Omninoir by myself; having allies in the war effort isn't a crime is it?'_ Ash whispered uncertainly, projecting his voice to the Alpha Pokémon alone.

' _No Ash it isn't a crime, and having powerful allies like Lance and the Pokémon G-men involved will be extremely beneficial to the war efforts from our side of this conflict. But like you said, these children, while being predestined to get involved in the war during its later years, are no better than cannon fodder at this point. You can train them how to fight and how to use their gifts to the fullest extent after the fact, but for this particular fight, it would be ill advisable for you to split your focus between protecting them and fighting Omninoir, and I believe the rest of our teammates agree with me Palkia included,_ ' Arceus explained, only voicing his opinion when Ash asked for it. Said Pallet town champion was fuming at this response, and he let his anger be known in no uncertain terms. ' _If that's how you all felt about the situation, then why didn't you mention it until now,_ ' Ash demanded crossly, expecting Arceus to already have an answer waiting but Raichu beat him to it.

Said level infinity mighty mouse was currently floating alongside Palkia via a psychic bubble of Ash's own design. Ash didn't trust his clothes to be capable of providing enough support to Raichu for it not to blow him off clear into the city below, and Palkia was just too damn big for the diminutive mouse-like Pokémon to cling to it with any kind of stability. No matter how absolute his starter's physical conditioning was, he wasn't big enough to securely fasten himself to Ash or especially Palkia in midair, so he floated along in Ash's pink bubble of pure psychic energy, the unlimited power of the orb of pink light making it totally physically impenetrable. If not for the fact that Raichu could survive off his own infinite energy alone, he would have suffocated within the sphere because even oxygen molecules couldn't penetrate it.

' _Because Ash, you seemed pretty easily convinced about bringing them along for the ride; plus none of us really doubt your ability to keep them safe even in the heat of glorious battle. We didn't voice our concerns about this arrangement simply because you seemed confident in your own abilities; besides whatever your decision was you know we would support you. Now though you need to consider whether or not your two new companions are really any sort of help on the battle field with Omninoir; I get that they insist on coming with you and you don't like imposing your infinite will on others when they've made up their mind about something, but Bonnie and Clement are barely clinging to any semblance of rationality right now, they don't truly understand what's at stake here and it was FOOLISH of the girl to insist on tagging along when they are no real means to us achieving our ends. I'm sorry but it has to be said, if you want my honest opinion then I think you need to lock these two in an omni-locking force field to keep Bonnie from stubbornly trying to follow you, because either she's overestimating their abilities or underestimating the severity of the situation_ ,' Raichu explained with flawless logic and a sage's wisdom, and in these moments Ash realized his Pokémon were right. He needed to be a little more forceful in his decision to go it alone for the time being, and if Bonnie and Clement refused to let him take the fight to Omninoir when he was the only one among them who could be of any use in an actual fight, then he needed not to waste time arguing with them and simply keep them from following him using his powers.

He could sense that Bonnie was connecting her fear of losing her new friend to the fear she felt as a child when she lost her mother; Clement on the other hand was currently trying to think of ways to thwart Omninoir in a rational sense, either by inventions or by coming up with possible applications for Ash's powers and those of his Pokémon , some of which were actually quite clever if he was being honest. He could sense from both of them however, a mutual fear of further bloodshed and a desire to protect the ones they cared about and to show true courage even when faced with an impossible situation. Plus as the gym leader of Lumiose city Ash could sense that Clement felt a sort of obligation to protect the people of his hometown and in all truth it was actually an unspoken rule among gym leaders to protect the towns they lived in as well as their own. Nevertheless, this was a situation neither one of them had ever trained for or was prepared for, and as much as he hated doing this, Ash knew he needed to find something else, something productive for them to do without putting them directly in the line of fire.

He didn't like reading their minds so deeply, but had wanted to better understand why they, particularly Bonnie, were so adamant about accompanying him and what kind of people they were. Thinking over the possible bases he may not have covered already, Ash knew that Dialga was effectively dealing with the almighty singularity back in Vaniville town and even had some unexpected help in the form of the Jewel of Life Arceus. He was worried about the possible implications regarding Omninoir's sudden transition into a potentially omnicidal psychopath, but decided to worry on that more later. Ash could sense the Arceus he met over a year ago was now a level infinity member of her species and had even acquired her omni plate, meaning she would be enormously helpful in the efforts to destroy that black hole before the damage it caused became irreversible.

It was slightly worrisome that he could also sense Omninoir's presence in Serena's hometown and another godlike force he'd never sensed before and yet felt a certain familiarity with nonetheless. The answer became obvious however, when he could sense his own infinite spiritual energy resonating with this mysterious being's own, and immediately knew that Serena herself was facing Omninoir. Most worrisome of all however, was that the singularity itself was literally a rip in the fabric of the Omega Omnisphere itself; God only knew what kind of omni-shit that was stirring up and what may or may not have been on the other side of that thing, past the singularity's inner event horizon. He only hoped Serena was up to the challenge and knew that even with her ascension to nigh omnipotence it would not be easy; still he was amazed by what he was sensing from her. Turns out he had been more truthful than even he realized when he believed she could walk on air and that she would go on to do the impossible way back when they were kids. He had said she'd achieve seemingly unlimited miracles beside her Pokémon , but this was so far above and beyond what his six-year-old self had anticipated.

' _Interesting, her powers must have self manifested when her life and her town were threatened, but I can also sense that her consciousness is being suppressed by some kind of inner entity whose existence is tied to her, like an omnipotent little helper inside of her... Ha, oh my God, Arceus created a boundless inner world within her, simple but brilliant. She could lead a perfectly normal life while possessing the power of God within her, power that lies latent within her until her need of it is truly great,_ ' Ash mentally commented on the situation, trying to come up with something useful Clement and Bonnie could do besides needlessly risking their lives, but unfortunately for him they were out of time for Palkia had reached Prism tower on the lower level and levitated Bonnie and Clement down off of them. His trusty legendary Pokémon immediately sensed where Ash's train of thought was headed as both blonde haired siblings stared at Ash in obvious confusion.

"Um Ash, what are you doing? Garchomp is at the top of the tower on the platform way above us," Bonnie pointed out, whereas Clement almost immediately caught on to Ash's intentions. "You're leaving us here aren't you," he said, not really sounding surprised nor was he looking like he was about to argue as Ash nodded in confirmation; him, Palkia, and Raichu floating well out of their reach by now and slowly ascending. "I'm sorry you guys but this is where you get off. I appreciate the offer to help but truth is you guys have no experience with this, not to be rude or anything but you're both little more than cannon fodder to me at this point in time. I thought it over and realized there was very little you could do to help. I also understand why you're both willing to risk your lives for me, and while I'm touched you two are a liability to me right now," Ash explained, trying to make them understand.

Bonnie looked like she was going to argue, but Clement sighed in acceptance. "He's right Bonnie; we can't help him... this time." Clement stated matter-of-factually as Bonnie seemed to acknowledge that they weren't budging on this and huffed indignantly. "Fine... but Ash, I want you to promise me that when this is over, you'll devote some of your time helping us be able to help you in any future fights with this guy. I want to fight, I want to become super strong, the strongest, fastest, smartest, and most powerful in Pokémon battling and all other kinds of fights I can possibly be," Bonnie said quickly without drawing a breath, knowing that time was of the utmost importance. Ash managed a smile despite the overwhelmingly perilous nature of the situation. "Thanks for understanding Bonn-Bonn, and I promise to do exactly that. I don't think you can even begin to imagine how much I can help you, though believe me when I say it's going to be brutal, time consuming, and demanding," he promised her. She grudgingly nodded her acquiescence while Clement smiled up at him. Froakie remained on Palkia behind Ash, refusing to abandon the trainer who saved his life and wanting to see how Pokémon trained by Ash fought when they had reached their full and limitless potential. Luckily for Froakie, Ash didn't seem to be opposed to his accompanying him.

Clement knew he had some inventions in his backpack that could potentially help Ash, but from what he could gather the trainer had already picked through their brains to see why there helping him, and would have accepted Clement's help had there been anything he had that could provide legitimate help to Ash's cause. He felt somewhat violated by this realization and intended to have a conversation with Ash about it later, but recognized the seriousness of this situation despite how crazily mind numbing it was. He couldn't help admiring Ash's bravery and his ability to somehow retain his sanity despite this maddening scenario; he wished he could have the kind of courage he could feel literally coming off of Ash, along with that determination of his and his refusal to never give up. Bonnie was right in a way, they hadn't known each other for very long, but Ash already felt like kin and Clemont knew he and Bonnie could become infinitely stronger than they were now by traveling alongside Ash and learning from him.

Ash didn't say anything more as he and his Pokémon ascended further, disappearing in a whirl of pure speed and motion. Omninoir's telepathic voice cackled in pure, hellish delight. " _ **That's right boy, fight me on your lonesome with only your precious Pokémon by your side. It's a shame that good help is in such short supply these days isn't it, but that's the way the world works. Humans and mortal beings as a collective whole will never be of any use to us except to understand that our very existence diminishes them all, renders them and everything they can or ever will do totally obsolete; next to our awesome might, their abilities are nothing but a joke. All they're truly good for is satisfying our physical urges, worshiping us and our supremacy, forever recognizing their inferiority in comparison, and putting us on a pedestal of grandeur, immensity, and transcendence. If they are lucky, we might consider having our way with them, but only with the best looking females of their kind; of course some of the more prideful members of their kind attempt to tamper with omnipotent forces infinitely beyond their can and so forth, and must be dealt with accordingly. This is the irrefutable truth about God and his existence Ash Ketchum, recognize it now so you don't delude yourself into thinking them as good for anything else than what I explained to you earlier on,**_ ' Omninoir preached, his Satanic ministrations making Ash want to wretch, feeling sick to his stomach in response to that disgusting monologue.

' _You underestimate their value Omninoir, but you're obviously never going to see that! Palkia, activate your Infinity Dome NOW_!" Ash ordered strategically. Omninoir continued to cackle with over-saturated insanity, ' _ **you wish to seal us in that omni-locked battle field so as to minimize the damage to this precious city of lights. Very commendable boy that you prioritize the safety of these lesser beings so highly, but while you'll be holding back your full potential out of some misplaced sense of right and wrong, of protecting the people; I will not be beholden to any such weakness or constraint. That is the difference between us Ash, you actually care for these people who are little more than insects. You live amongst the multitudes of omninescient, primitive, unimaginative, and intolerant people down there, but you are not one of them boy, so stop pretending that you are. Embrace your Godhood as I have, forget about these fecal fingered macaques, the Omni-Creator knows that a female goddess of omnipotent powers could open up a world of pleasure and passion for you that no female human on this earth could even imagine. You could have any female you want, but you insist on consistently loving Serena Yvonne, who hasn't even grown into her godhood yet**_ ,' Omninoir continued to speak, but Ash wasn't even listening as a massive, omni-colored dome of boundless brilliance expanded out from him, Primal Palkia, and Raichu; engulfing the Garchomp vessel as well and carrying all four of them out past the very tip top of Prism tower itself and into the sky. The dome continually increased in size and superimposed with the even bigger field of infinite anti-gravitons that sat invisible all above and around the entire city.

"I REFUSE TO LET YOU PUT THIS CITY IN ANYMORE DANGER, PALKIA TAKE THIS FIGHT TO THE SKIES!" Ash exclaimed at the top of his lungs, in the Supreme Voice of the Monotheistic Deity, omnipotence radiating off of him in gentle waves that rolled over every living thing in Lumiose city and across the world, never revealing the identity of its speaker but carrying with it the promise of eternal salvation and delivery from even this supreme form of evil. Everyone on earth heard it and were equally engulfed in the most blissful of sensations; warmth, tenderness, strength, and love. The feeling of absolute euphoria lasted for only the briefest of moments, but it allowed Ash to effectively put the world population at ease even with the massive singularity slowly swallowing the omniverse; or worst case scenario bestow them with the ability to make peace with death should Ash be unable to stop Omninoir in the end.

The stage was set for the ultimate clash of titans as Ash jumped off the back of Palkia's neck before he even landed on the unearthly terrain of their newly created battle field, the massive ultra Garchomp already waiting for them on the other side of their battle field and baring his teeth at Palkia who responded in kind by snarling mightily. Ash could see the city thousands of feet below him from within the translucent, kaleidoscopic floor of his legend's signature ability when in its primal form; an ability only it, Primal Dialga, and Mega Giratina possessed the power to instantly form on command when in the heat of battle.

' _ **So this is the infamous battling terrain the supped up Creation Trio is famous for. Color me impressed boy, I'm assuming this is how you've managed to train all your hundreds of Pokémon to level infinity without blowing up the planet. This dome is a fascinating construct, ingenious in its flawless, omnipotent design; I'm guessing it is not only out of sync with everything in the Omega Omnisphere but it also renders everything within it flawlessly indestructible and cancels out all other abilities that affect the battle field between two warring trainers, am I right**_?' Omninoir commented idly, his telepathic voice sweeping over them and controlling Sycamore's precious Pokémon partner as though she were a helpless puppet.

Ash shrugged nonchalantly in response as Palkia and Raichu remained poised for the inevitable battle; all three of them sensing the building tension between the two sides of this conflict as Ash knew this was it. He'd been waiting to battle with an opponent of this caliber for over a year now, he had been hearing from Arceus how dangerous, competent, and supremely invincible Omninoir was since before his journey in Sinnoh was even really done, before he even attained his gym badge in Sunnyshore gym over a year ago. Now the time had finally come to see if Omninoir was all he had been cracked up to be, or if Arceus was too benevolent and kind to really do whatever it took to win this eternal struggle, something he and Ash probably had in common.

"My primal Palkia is full of surprises, isn't that right buddy?! He's not the only one though, all of my Pokémon are primed and ready for action; we all work together like a family, something I wouldn't even expect you to truly understand," Ash responded tersely, Froakie croaking angrily from beside him and Raichu, both his starter and the blue frog staying the sidelines for the time being since both of them recognized that this was a fight between gods and should be treated as such. Even Raichu whom one could argue was the strongest of his species in the entire 1 millionth Pokémon universe, recognized that Omninoir was out of his weight class and completely out of his league.

As much as Raichu hated to admit it he had fought with and sparred with some of Ash's fully trained legends while helping Ash capture them or simply training alongside them to keep himself sharp, and those battles always ended in Raichu's loss or a victory so narrow it was almost a tie. And that was against legendary Pokémon like Ash's Latias or Latios from Altomare, not the absurdly godlike ones like Mewtwo, Mew, the Weather Trio in their upgraded forms, or the Creation Trio in any of their forms, all of whom possessed at least one omnipotent super power or one over the top nigh omnipotent ability. Hell even the eons were dragon gods and psycho-omnipotent minds, and that made them potentially nigh omnipotent as well.

Omninoir's infinitely sadistic gurgling and cackling remained allegedly ceaseless upon recognizing that he was effectively trapped in an inescapable dome of absolute power with the one person he wanted dead above all others; except perhaps Arceus himself. The difference was Omninoir knew he could have a lot of fun with this brat child, unlike Arceus who was too well trained and too wise to all of Omninoir's infinite repertoire of tricks and mind games to be anything but... boring. All and all, Ash Ketchum 1 Million had proven to be the most fun the Anti-God himself had had in countless eons, and it would be a shame to kill him now. Hell what would Omninoir do without him at this point? Nevertheless, the boy needed to learn some humility and to understand that just because he was a man of unlimited means didn't mean he knew how to use that limitless strength to its fullest versatility. There was a difference between having powers and having precision, accuracy, versatility, and unorthodox unpredictability that could surprise even the most dangerously competent opponents. If Ash wanted to be of any actual use in a fight against a being of Omninoir's supreme caliber, then he'd have to step up and make every one of his moves count. Absolute, unlimited excitement and euphoria surged through Omninoir's infinite being and existence at the mere thought, the briefest of moments spent thinking about what was about to happen.

Ash didn't understand, he naively believed that the true feeling of life was through the shared collective experiences of all those mortal, lesser beings; of the rush of adrenaline that came from daringly risking one's life just for that hormonal high, of the height of passion that many mistakenly believed could only be reached by making love to the one person in all the world who filled your heart with joy. But they were fools, the whole stinking lot of them, Ash included, who still saw himself as one of them. Omninoir had seen all of these infinite experiences through the eyes of these creatures Ash Ketchum adored so much, and he could honestly say that they were all sorely mistaken. The true feeling of life was in the intimate knowledge that one could do _anything_ , be _anything_. To be able to command everything and anything in the Omega Omnisphere to be your bitch for all eternity, to rule the infinite pantheon of gods, angels, demons, and the Omega Omnisphere's entire collection of suitable females and/or sex slaves as their ultimate Omniarch; _that_ was the ultimate experience, the supreme form of ecstasy, the ultimate high.

The sooner Ash Ketchum recognized this, the sooner he'd become swallowed in the eternal bliss only an omnipotent being like Omninoir himself could ever truly experience. He was totally happy and content with everything he was and all he had the capacity to be; fully intent on sharing this absolute euphoria with the rest of the Omega Omnisphere when he ruled over all of it as a benevolent God. Of course there were those who saw his journey to be an almighty, divine ruler as a poor attempt to impose his infinite will on others, and Omninoir knew he'd have to go to war in order to ensure his ultimate goals remained virtually unopposed when all was said and done. He wasn't a monster, he was just like any other tyrant who was hungry for true omnipotence and absolute rule; once he was at the top, the one and only wielder of omnipotence throughout its entirety, he'd rebuild everything that was destroyed during the inevitable struggle between himself and those who saw his rule as one tainted with pure malice and with poor intentions for the people he planned to rule. Once he was the Omniarch, he saw no reason to destroy more lives since he'd finally have everything he'd ever or could ever want; too bad his enemies didn't understand that and opposed him on sheer principle, refusing to even entertain the idea that he could actually make one awesome almighty divine ruler. The difference between him and Ash was that his nemesis didn't know, in his heart what he was fighting for, what he was willing to do in order to achieve his ends and ultimate goals and Omninoir did. He would sacrifice anyone; do anything to see to his induction as the one almighty ruler.

He may have been an Anti-God by his initial design but that was just one of the things he planned on changing. He wasn't content with representing the Omega Omnisphere's ultimate destroyer when the totality of existence had so much potential as his own personal kingdom, where his most perverted fantasies became reality and his darkest desires were all possible with but the briefest of thoughts. Not that they weren't already but all Omninoir wished for was for the rest of totality to get with that program and accept him as its ruler; was that really so wrong?! He knew he was acting quite out of character when he not only allowed the singularity to form but felt compelled beyond reason to preserve it, an inexplicable influx of omnicidal hatred towards all life saturating his entire being, connected and yet unconnected with his own emotions at the same time. Something was seriously amiss here, but Omninoir wasn't at all concerned and simply chalked it up to him getting a little carried away in his display of power.

' _ **These people exist for the sole purpose of lifting beings like us up onto their shoulders boy. It's the unspoken truth about humanity and all mortal beings as a whole; that they crave subjugation. They were made to be ruled, and in the end they will always kneel, always bow to their superiors. Pride and vanity be damned Ash Ketchum, you and I are meant to be leaders, almighty rulers of the infinite teeming masses,**_ ' Omninoir proclaimed with supreme arrogance. Ash glared with the utmost contempt and hatred, unable to believe what he was hearing from this omnimalevolent piece of shit and understanding for the first time why Arceus was so terrified by the thought of what Omninoir would were he 'sworn into office' as the saying goes.

"Leaders," Ash repeated, before adding hastily and with growing unease as he sensed the impending fight between them growing ever closer. "You're a tyrant who only believes in himself, you don't know the first thing about what being a true leader is all about!" Ash shouted with such ferocity the interior of primal Palkia's infinity dome vibrated with planet busting force. Omninoir chuckled humorlessly at Ash's outburst, ' _ **who else should I put my faith in?! We both know that trusting others is a calculated risk, one supreme beings with any knowledge of humanity are unwilling to take. We can fool those closest to us can't we, but we can lean on no one boy. These humans will be forever inferior to our kind and their petty actions will always reflect their inferiority complex in the end. Face it Ash, befriending or working alongside someone with the powers of a god is so demoralizing; these people are not nor will they ever be worthy of our genuine love, because none of them ever truly love gods themselves. They may admire us to an extent from afar, especially during such moments where we are particularly inspiring; but it's fleeting, conditional, and doesn't deepen in a way that truly matters**_ ,' Omninoir carried on with seemingly genuine concern for Ash's well being, a demeanor that surprised the Pallet town trainer enough to temporarily abate his anger. Ash took a moment to really regard his nemesis, only just seeming to realize that the only reason for their enmity was because of Arceus pitting Ash against him.

In all fairness a lot of what Omninoir said seemed to have a grain truth to it, and in all honesty Ash had no real way of truly knowing what the Omega Omnisphere would be like under Omninoir's absolute rule, only going by the alleged scenarios that Arceus explained to him as any form of basis on what to expect. Arceus's telepathic voice immediately interrupted Ash's thoughtful musing. ' _Ash, don't believe his lies, Omninoir is a master of half truths and manipulations; you can't trust him nor can you afford to believe what he says. Trust me when I say nothing good will come of Omninoir's absolute rule_ ,' Arceus said in a desperate undertone, as if begging Ash to understand the severity of this situation.

Omninoir glared at Ash and Primal Palkia through the eyes of his current vessel. ' _ **My dear God boy, think for yourself; Arceus may say I'm manipulating you and he might be right, but can you really say for certain that he's any better, that he's not manipulating you in turn? Truth is Ash Ketchum; I haven't any quarrel with you like I do Arceus. You can go on living your eternal life the way you see fit, with the one you love as your soul mate or whatever you want to call her. I won't try to stop you, hell you can even create your own totality to either rule as its Omniarch or do things the hard way as some kind of hero and divine protector or some shit. I honestly couldn't care less about any of it; it was Arceus who felt so compelled to oppose me and my ambitions, to pit the three humans he marked as his own Chosen Champions against me and to impede my quest forever more. All I ask is that you give me the benefit of the doubt and allow me to work in order to achieve my own ends by any means I see fit. Don't get me wrong I enjoy having the opportunity to fight for my own ultimate goal and to prove myself right when I claim to be one of the best candidates for the one and only Omniarch of totality, but you need to decide if you really want to be part of a war against me in an effort to impede my quest to the top, a war that you will lose... one way or another**_ ,' Omninoir immediately countered to Arceus's claims, a counter-argument that Ash had to admit sounded pretty compelling, even as he formed his own opinion on the matter while ignoring Arceus's silent pleading with him to not walk out on this war with the ultimate evil as Arceus claimed he was.

"So what you're saying to me is that in this grand scheme of Gods and Anti-Gods; Lexie, Serena, and myself are little more than victims. We're nothing but pawns for the two of you to use in your endless ongoing chess game. In the last year I've seen a lot of the Omega Omnisphere just due to the simple fact that I have all-seeing eyes; I've seen gods, demigods, angelic gods, demonic gods, would-be gods, false gods, omnipotent gods, anti-gods, omni-dimensional entities, and countless others. And out of that whole infinite pantheon, if there is one thing in all the whole _stinking_ Omega Omnisphere that I believe in it's _them_ ; it has always been and always will be _Serena Yvonne and Lexie Mei_! I'll be honest Omninoir, your argument is probably not entirely invalid, but if Serena and Lexie had a say in this they'd never be okay with me whisking them away to our own private paradise while innocent people die in the line of fire between you and Arceus's ongoing battle for totality. Also, I may not always agree with Arceus's methods but it is clear he needs me right now, and as his own personal asset I know it would be a very poor idea strategically for Arceus to do anything shifty or deceptive that could result in my turning on him!" Ash finally concluded after giving the matter a great deal of thought, thoughts that made even _his_ head spin a little as he realized he may have just signed away his only opportunity to get himself and his loved ones out of the line of fire.

Froakie was astounded upon hearing his would-be trainer's heartfelt speech; all that power and all of those different gods and he chose to believe in the women he loved first and foremost despite all that, despite everything he was. That in itself was the single greatest line he had ever heard from any human; the speech of the century, yet nobody would be around to hear it save Froakie and the other Pokémon present. It should have been a crime that Lexie and this Serena Ash mentioned hadn't been able to hear him say that, but alas a lot of the best lines or the best villain or hero speeches tended to be the ones that were never said or never heard by a vast audience of people praising the one who spoke. Raichu meanwhile could sense the danger his trainer's words might have put him in and realized Ash had just pissed away what might have been his only chance to escape this life of fighting with the most dangerous creature the omniverse had ever seen.

While Ash's starter was a sucker for cheesy, heart-melting lines and speeches like the one his trainer delivered, he knew now was not the time to be impressed by the champion level trainer's statement and that he needed to prepare himself for a possible confrontation with a literal Anti-God should his trainer and Palkia fail to stop him. He now had absolute focus, the total commitment to protect the new and inexperienced Froakie, knowing that it needed to see what was about to happen if it seriously expected to realistically be a part of Ash's team and the kind of work it would have to put in to reach that level.

He and Ash both knew Froakie was considering joining them, which was why Ash had been so adamant about having the blue frog along even while he second guessed his decision to let those two blonde haired companions of his tag along as well. As powerful as he was, Ash couldn't be everywhere at once while also playing babysitter and battling Omninoir as well as protecting the Omega Omnisphere from any stray attacks they exchanged that could have breached the impenetrable walls of Palkia's dome. To do all that and still be able to beat Omninoir by some unlimited miracle would require a level of expertise on omni-powers and at using them that Ash simply didn't possess at this early stage of his journey.

He could sense rather than see the all too obvious anger of Omninoir coming off in waves of supreme malice, revealing his true colors for the entire Pokémon world to see as the massive, supped up version of mega Garchomp began stamping its feet on the otherworldly see through floor of Primal Palkia's infinity dome. ' _ **Very well boy, I gave you a golden opportunity to walk away from all this, all the pain and misery I would have caused you had you stupidly decided to get involved in matters that need not concern you. Instead you spat in my face and chose to defy me, and that is the last mistake you will ever make Ashton Fredrick Ketchum; this I promise you. So prepare to join your beloved Serena and Amber in eternal oblivion and unending, perpetual agony**_ ,' Omninoir gurgled with inhuman levels of sick-minded sadism, the entire world losing its luster, positive energy, light, and love in response to his absolute rage.

Ash furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing Omninoir refer to his friend with benefits Lexie as Amber, refusing to waste his time letting Omninoir get inside his head anymore and chalking that up to one of the things Lexie, or Amber he supposed, had meant to tell him before Omninoir ruined the moment for them, leading to where he was right here and now. He refused to let anything the Anti-God said about his newest friend come between him and her, because if his nigh omniscience and infinite mindscape were anything he could trust then a future with Lexie AKA Amber would be a good one, hell it would be phenomenal from what he could see, especially once the two of them were on more equal footing.

"Enough talk, let's finish this," Ash loudly stated as he and Palkia got into a fighting stance while Raichu hung back with Froakie, prepared to protect it to the death on Ash's behalf should his trainer and his legendary teammate fail to stop the Anti-God. The distorted region of space around them made the infinity dome infinitely larger on the inside than on the outside, but even on the outside it and its occupants were visible from everywhere in Lumiose, to everyone including Bonnie and Clement below them on Prism Tower, the both of them watching what was about to happen in absolute horror and in the devastating knowledge that they were powerless to do anything to stop it. With a roar of defiance that shook the entirety of the Omniverse, Primal Palkia and Ash charged the greatest threat to their universe with every intention of ending this NOW! The two warring sides met in the center of the massive dome, and all hell broke loose!

XXXXX

' _ **Face it child, nothing can stop this singularity so long as I remain here to sustain it!**_ ' Omninoir pronounced to the vessel of one Serena Yvonne, a vessel under the control of an inner goddess whose existence was somehow tied to the Serena her friends knew and loved. Serena meanwhile, was watching all of this transpire from within the landscape of her own mind, an endless labyrinth expanding eternally in all directions and yet taking up no space in the outside world. Now though, intermingling with the upper levels of the endlessly high maze-like junction of Serena's boundless inner world was a pool of energy currently projecting an image of what was going on outside the real world through Serena's own eyes; eyes that were virtually all-seeing and projected a faded, transparent image of what was going on out there.

It was at times like this where Serena wished she could just close her eyes and pretend that things weren't as bad as they were. Unfortunately for her, life didn't work like that, even when one had unlimited power to alter reality one was always guaranteed to face challenges that were equal to what they were capable of. It wasn't fair how this seemed to be some kind of universal, unbreakable law, but then again life itself was very rarely if ever fair. The worst part was that Serena wasn't even in control of her own body or the powers it somehow possessed now; she didn't like this out of control feeling and the fact that she was safe here in this inner world while the world she loved and grew up in was being threatened.

Vaniville town and its entire population had long since been pulled into the singularity; Calem and Shauna included. Serena knew she could get them back thanks to the nigh omniscience this world bestowed her with, so she wasn't too cut up about the loss of her friends or her mother; unfortunately, this salvation could only come to pass in the wake of Omninoir's defeat, which seemed like an impossible feat even with her immensely more competent and powerful inner self battling him on her behalf. Most disconcerting of all however, was the fact that Serena had possessed this potential within her all along; without even knowing about it. Her inner self seemed so assertive and confident; like she had been a goddess her entire life and had fully embraced it.

Was this potential to become everything she ever wanted to be in life always so easily within her grasp? Were her deepest desires and most absurd notions, fantasies, and ideas possible with but the briefest of thoughts, because if they were then she couldn't imagine how she had lived this long without these abilities? The world was her oyster and creation itself was her realm of desires. She wasn't one to simply be content with doing things the easy way every time she came across something new she wanted to try out, but knowing that she had the power to live in and travel throughout a world where literally _nothing_ was impossible no matter how ridiculous or absurd the notion or idea, was the kind of life she had always wanted and the kind she felt was truly worth fighting for, even against the most obscenely naturally powerful adversaries.

She kept telling herself that if she got out of this in one piece she'd live her life to the fullest and make the most out of her Pokémon journey; whether or not her powers ever became hers alone to control she'd make damn sure to always take chances and live her life without any regrets. Hell if she had her way she'd find Ash and join him on his journey like she always secretly planned; and at least now she could be of some use to him on his journey, even despite the fact that he'd doubtlessly mastered the art of Pokémon battling on an infinite level as he always said he would. She was slowly starting to realize that if Ash could achieve every goal that he set for himself no matter how seemingly unattainable she may have once believed some of those goals to be, then why couldn't she? Now she understood what he had been telling her all those years ago; he always seemed to believe in her completely, especially when she couldn't believe in herself. He made it seem like she could walk on air given the way he talked about her. Never had she felt so loved, so cherished as she had when she could literally feel the love seven-year-old Ash harbored for her rolling off of him in gentle, soothing, euphoria inducing waves. It had taken her years to realize it, but Ash had pretty well spoiled her for any other man or member of the opposite sex; because she knew she'd never love anyone as much as she did the young boy who had left her positively love stricken the moment she laid eyes on him.

She watched in total amazement as her inner self ducked under a planet busting tail whip attack from Omninoir's black Mew form in midair and landed a full powered focus punch attack with enough muscle packed power and energy to give a level infinity Conkeldur a run for his or her money. She watched as her inner self punched a hole in the fabric of totality with just the force, the ferocity of that hit from her fist making contact with her current opponent, just in time for the Arceus that had arbitrarily appeared to comment on it while landing an attack of her own. A massive orb of Kugelblitz creating light and pure energy gathered above Arceus's lowered head, the equine being firing countless shots of infinitely bright light and boundless energy in the same exact instant, like a series of lasers cutting down an enemy spy as Omninoir attempted to dodge, only to be struck literally a billion times in a single Planck time. Serena ought to know how impossibly fast that judgement attack had been, she had counted the number of times it struck the enemy while trying to keep the Dialga that also appeared within her line of sight, watching as it sent an endless barrage of anti-gravitons streaming towards the core of the black hole indefinitely.

"Nice one," her inner goddess commented to Arceus as Omninoir was sent tearing through the air so fast his body spontaneously combusted with an almighty blaze from the impossible levels of friction he was generating, cratering the barren remain of Serena's hometown below them with the same level of force as in the series of big bangs and explosions that lead to the Omniverse's creation and the big bang theory becoming an omni-dimensional constant. Once again Serena was astounded by just how much she suddenly seemed to know about things she just shouldn't have been able to know anything about.

Arceus nodded while saying something along the lines of 'likewise' telepathically, but Serena wasn't really paying attention as both her body snatcher and Arceus were forced to separate as an infinitely condensed ball of absolute darkness, dark matter, and anti-matter was shot at them from Omninoir down in the ground below. Said Anti-God Pokémon had become completely invisible and refracted every color and every kind of light, totally invisible to every existing frequency, to the entire visible spectrum of colors and lights. So far as Serena knew, the only other legendary Pokémon who could become completely invisible and undetectable by any means, even to all-seeing eyes themselves, was Giratina herself, in any of her three forms, or via the use of her two signature moves Shadow Force and her signature move in her very poorly known mega evolved form, Omni Force. Serena was at this point no longer terribly surprised by the amount of knowledge she seemed to possess out of nowhere, but she wondered if there was a way to shut that part of her off because the day she knew everything was the day she lost that thrill of discovery, that sense of self and individuality she loved having for so long.

Serena's eyes widened as Arceus smirked at Omninoir's attempt to ambush them before becoming totally invisible herself; the honey blonde would-be trainer aware of the fact that the legendary godlike Pokémon was now using mega Giratina's signature move as well, intending to take advantage of Omninoir's lack of patience and do him in with her own Omni Force attack. It was merely a question of patience and who revealed themselves first Serena realized, and she had the feeling Arceus herself would win that contest hands down. Omni Force was exclusive to the Ultra-Verse and could have been considered a fan-made move, but the level of power it possessed and the seemingly unbeatable strength of its additional battle effects made it the be all, end all of unstoppable Pokémon attacks, and one that could potentially level the entire omniverse.

Not only did it negate protect and all other manners of protection and types of shields, it could be used to grant Mega Giratina unlimited powers of access and enable her to breach even omni-locked defenses, on top of that it was absolute in its destructive force and the level of damage it could do to opposing Pokémon . Not only that but it was super effective against any and all Pokémon types and could hurt or even kill anything short of omnipotent beings themselves, and even absolute immortals could be crippled beyond repair. It was all around the perfect Pokémon attack, and could breach any defenses while at the same time rendering Giratina herself completely untouchable, invisible, and out of sync with everything in totality.

True to Serena's prediction, Omninoir grew tired of simply waiting for Arceus to reveal herself and had recognized that talking to her or trying to otherwise force her to reveal herself would give away his current position and allow her to attack him. Knowing he had no choice, Omninoir immediately started firing more bolts of infinitely concentrated anti-matter at anything that moved, any and all shifts or invisible movements in the air; the black hole drawing them in before they could even make contact and allowing Arceus to slam into him with the full force of Mega Giratina's most powerful attack, dealing an infinite amount of super effective damage that had Omninoir roaring in pure agony and fury, the force of his screams like that of a hypernova explosion and sending both Arceus and Serena's vessel tearing through the skies and landing in the dirt in a slightly crumpled heap, unharmed but somewhat humiliated as Omninoir once more took the skies with an air of absolute fury about him. Serena gasped upon coming to the startling realization that her body snatcher and Arceus had done the impossible; they had managed to hurt him, they hurt Omninoir, a being that was supposedly almighty and absolutely unbeatable just by his fundamental nature.

Suddenly Serena's inner goddess whirled around to shout something to Dialga as the temporal Pokémon continued its efforts to avert the black hole by any means necessary. "Dialga it's useless, Omninoir is using his powers to ensure the black hole is completely sustained and defended against any attack. You need to limit his control over the black hole before you can hope to dissipate it," her inner self explained with unwavering confidence as Dialga roared and grunted back unintelligibly at first.

' _How do you propose I do that_?!' he demanded urgently, just as Arceus turned invisible again and managed to land another Omni Force attack on the obsidian colored cat-like Pokémon , sending it tearing across the skies at near-infinite velocities as the Alpha Pokémon chased after his ever-shrinking form on the horizon, the sheer absurdity of their respective speeds enough to traverse even infinite distances in an instant, defying the concept of quantum entanglement by instantly transporting themselves across endlessly vast regions of space and time, encompassing almost every locality in the same exact Planck time while not having to manipulate interconnected particles over an infinite distance. Instead they covered that distance via sheer speed alone.

"I recommend using your infinity dome and encasing the black hole and yourself inside of it. Not only would it omni-lock the singularity outside of totality itself it would allow you to operate within its sacred, impenetrable boundaries unimpeded while limiting Omninoir's sphere of control since he is outside of your dome," inner Serena explained with flawless logic; dragging Dialga out of his reverie while the temporal Pokémon kept one eye on the infinitely fast paced fight happening all around him. Serena had to admit that her other self was displaying a level of intellect and creativity that Serena didn't even realize she had possessed. She wondered if she was finally good enough to be on an equal footing with Ash in the brains department, but tried not to dwell on it for fear of it becoming too important to her. She would have commended her inner goddess for her unparalleled genius had it not been for the simple fact that she would have been essentially complimenting and flattering _herself_ , and Serena just couldn't condone self aggrandizement of any kind; she wasn't that kind of person and luckily for her Ash wasn't really either.

' _Got it, thanks Serena, getting rid of this stupid thing will be my genuine pleasure,_ ' Dialga grinned mentally, an almost savage instinct to foil Omninoir's plot taking it over as the infinity dome instantly manifested around it and the singularity, which found that it could no longer suck like it used to. Laughing like a maniac as the jewel of life Arceus suddenly shot by his dome, Dialga planned to relish his involvement in Omninoir's failure even as the daughter of his creator was involuntarily tossed asunder by the Anti-God Pokémon . ' _Ugh, Ash better appreciate this or I'm gonna have to kill him,_ ' Dialga growled dangerously, focusing all of his Omega Omnisphere manipulating powers on finally ending the now significantly less impressive and less potent singularity that had seemed so formidable only mere moments ago. The eye of this thing was immense; easily covering the expanse of the Omniverse itself meaning one would have to move at near infinite velocities just to be able to disrupt its absolute motion. Luckily for Dialga there was another way to end this, and so he continued to blast the damning force of nature with an endless barrage of anti-gravitons.

Serena meanwhile, was amazed when all of a sudden her body snatcher had got in the middle of Omninoir's airborne titanic grapple with Arceus and conjured a golden blade she somehow knew was made of cursed gold enhanced to absolute levels. "Excuse me, mind if I cut in," her inner self boldly announced while slashing expertly at Omninoir with an almighty example of the famous god-slaying blade from the Campione universe. Somehow inner Serena had taken it and made it an omni-slaying blade, capable of slaying anything, including immortals and nigh omnipotent gods, the only thing it couldn't slay being absolute immortals and omnipotent beings, though the former of the two could still be crippled beyond any and all repair.

"Nice work body snatcher, the stage is set perfectly," Serena shouted out, her voice echoing across the endless chambers of her own boundless inner world. As the sound of her voice faded in the endlessness of her own mindscape and her inner self continued to battle alongside Arceus out there in the real world; Serena couldn't help feeling both excited and terrified. If this was the kind of insanity she could expect on her journey on a regular basis then one might wonder if she was crazy for even entertaining the idea. Serena knew it would be fraught with dangers to her own existence as well as her friends' lives. Calem and Shauna as well as her mom whom she'd only just made peace with, had all been swallowed up by the singularity and crushed into eternal oblivion, and only by defeating Omninoir in this battle could they hope to reverse every bad thing that had happened to her hometown since he showed up.

She was terrified, and the traumatic experience of losing her friends to death, even if it was only temporary, would surely catch up to her in due time; but right now she was too mad and too inexplicably eager to send this son of a mutant bitch packing. The only thing she hated about this situation was that she couldn't be a part of the action; no she was stuck inside here, in this empty endless space where all things were possible no matter how absurd the notion or idea, yet she hated being stuck here more than she thought she ever could. She was literally stuck inside of her own entirely separate version of the Omega Omnisphere, where she and she alone was the almighty ruler, the Omniarch if you will; yet all she could think about right now was playing some kind of part in kicking this new enemy's ass. All she wanted was to feel at least somewhat useful to the battle efforts, was that really so wrong?!

As though waiting for her to ask this question, a telepathic voice sounded off the walls of the endless labyrinth, echoing throughout her mindscape in a voice that she immediately recognized as... her own. This version of her voice however, was riddled with completely confidence, and had an almost impossibly beautiful melody to it, like a choir of angelic goddesses. "You are being useful just sitting there Serena. Fact of the matter is my existence is tied to you and when the time is right you and I will truly become one," the voice of her inner self spoke, so clear and so clean that it sounded like she was speaking directly in front of her.

Serena took a moment to ponder this as her inner self multi-tasked between speaking to her and parrying Omninoir's own conjured blade of infinite blackness, a blade comprised entirely of infinitely condensed dark matter, x-elements, anti-matter, and other infinitely destructive forms of matter Serena couldn't identify. She hadn't noticed this before and cursed her inability to multitask even as her inner self used her body to perform a flurry of sword-fighting maneuvers, parries, dodges, and stabs that Serena didn't even know were humanly possible, the golden gleam of the cursed, omni-slaying blade setting her teeth on edge upon realizing that weapon could kill her as easily as it could any and all of her enemies. "So you're saying that without me you wouldn't exist?" she finally got around to questioning, not wanting to distract her inner self or wind up with her body getting injured or worse but glad when her inner self managed to answer her. She was answering her while watching Arceus fire an endless barrage of infinitely powerful light and energy balls, the boundless brilliance of them engulfing the entire crater that was once Vaniville town as the energy from the Alpha Pokémon 's judgement attack worked to a similar effect as the eclipse canon from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe only far more controlled, precise, and condensed.

"I represent the latent potential within you; I embody all that you could have been had you been leading this life straight from birth. I wield all of the experience, knowledge, and fighting prowess you would've possessed if you had been at this for the full 18 years you've been alive. Serena, you were chosen by the gods of Pokémon themselves to wield this great power; to become a beacon of hope that will shine upon the world and across the stars. You will face many challenges during your journey, you will be knee deep in situations that pardon the expression, but humans, just don't understand. As such, you will be a woman of unlimited means with the power to deal with these kinds of situations when most of humankind would have failed in your position. I'm not saying it will be easy, and the challenges you will face will be equal to what even you are capable of; but you will also have within you the power to achieve all of your goals, to experience the ultimate feeling of life no mere mortal can ever hope to achieve.

You will live forever in the intimate knowledge that you can do _anything_ , that you can _be anything_. You must be careful however because with such unlimited power, you can be very easily corrupted, you can become drunk on the power, so yes Serena, without you I would not exist. In time, when you are ready to handle the tremendous powers within you and the responsibilities that go with them, you and I will sort of... merge I guess you could say. Don't worry, you'll still be the one behind the wheel so to speak, just think of me as your own personal GPS of the Omega Omnisphere and as a backseat driver like your closest friend, or a second mom or something. As a matter of fact, I'll be just about anything you want me to be, or at least need me to be," inner Serena explained with such adoration and sincerity that Serena found it very hard not to believe her, watching in pure, unbridled awe as Arceus's full powered attack seemingly ended the battle right before her eyes.

The resultant blast was enough to bore a hole through the fabric of reality using Omninoir's body as the tunneling agent; the hole itself opening miles below the earth as the massive concentration of light and energy reached critical mass with Omninoir still at its epicenter. Serena waited on baited breath as the Kugelblitz, a word she didn't even know about until now, swallowed Omninoir's body whole just before it immediately collapsed on itself; evidently it had bitten off more than it could chew by swallowing an embodiment of limitless energy and power and had essentially choked on Omninoir, collapsing on itself before it managed to swallow him.

Serena's inner self evidently sensed her curiosity all of them, Dialga included awaited the inevitable, and were almost relieved when Omninoir's telepathic voice shouted to them all. " _ **Well fought Chosen One, I must admit this has turned out to be more entertaining than I thought it would be, but this form of mine you destroyed is just one of thousands of avatars and mind slaves I've created and assembled across the Ultra-Verse. Who knows though, maybe after an eternity of this there might actually emerge a victor. Until that infinitely distant time comes however, keep on fighting me with all you have Serena Yvonne, Arceus, and all the others who may end up opposing me. I relish the chance to prove to you all the futility in challenging me. Also just so you're aware, I will NOT have my supremacy be invalidated by a technicality such as the omnipotence paradox so don't even try that on me unless you wish to be very sorry! See you around lovely Serena, you really are beautiful girl, Ash was right to hold you in such high esteem, but I wonder how he's faring compared to you. If you want to find that out, I suggest you undo the damage to this town and its people and tune into the Kalos news channel**_ ,' Omninoir cackled insanely as both Serena and inner Serena furrowed their eyebrows at his statement, the infinite presence of the enemy retreating before they could interrogate him just as Primal Dialga's endless stream of anti-gravitons finally brought about an end to the all-powerful singularity.

Watching an infinitely super-massive black hole collapse on itself and spit out a massive spiraling pool of absolute cosmic energy, stardust, and other such particles was the most beautiful and terrifying thing Serena had ever seen, and had primal Dialga's infinity dome not been around to absorb the blast she was sure that detonation would have simply created another, equally strong singularity and started the process all over again. As it was, the massive gaping hole in the omniverse simply closed up like a gaping wound that had been stitched or allowed to coagulate. Almost imperceptibly, an obsidian blur raced past Primal Dialga from the massive core of the singularity, a hole in the fabric of the Omega Omnisphere itself, which may have just spit something out from whatever realm of absurdity existed on the other side of it. Serena looked around for any sign, any indication that anybody else, her inner self included, had noticed this bizarre phenomenon but unfortunately none of them did. Deciding that she would worry about it later, she was relieved when nothing else bad happened and returned to the situation at hand.

All and all, this scenario was horrible, and despite knowing that they pretty much saved the entire omniverse, Serena collapsed within her own infinite mindscape and broke down into sobs that caused her entire body to wrench uncontrollably. Never in all her life had she imagined anything such as this being even remotely possible before; this was completely insane and the craziness of the situation finally caught up with her, bearing down on her with the weight of the sky itself and causing her to sob in a strange mixture of pure agony that she had lost her friends and family as well as her entire hometown, and pure relief that it was finally over for the time being, and pure sorrow and devastation that Omninoir's reign of absolute terror had only just begun. If this was the price one paid for having absolute, unlimited powers than she wasn't sure she wanted it at all in the first place; but then again she had been able to save a lot of lives, no an infinite number of lives. Realizing she'd have to start thinking of infinity in a literal context, Serena was fully aware of the fact that her life was forever changed, and if she had it her way she'd ensure that only she out of everyone in Vaniville town remembered what had transpired today.

"That can be arranged Serena. Actually I was thinking about it a lot. Like I said we're knee deep in situations that people like Calem and Shauna and your mom just won't understand. If you want me to arrange for them to remember nothing, then it shall be so. One more thing I need to tell you before I do this," inner Serena briskly replied in response to Serena's thoughts, somehow knowing what she was thinking as her body snatcher and Arceus landed in the center of the crater, the massive hole that had been punched into the planet by Arceus's last attack. Dialga had given Serena and Arceus a brief nod of approval and a smile before reverting back to its normal form and vanishing through a wormhole connecting to infinite times, universes, dimensions, and realities, the portal closing behind him with a loud popping sound, seemingly oblivious to the impossibly black streak that had raced by him almost instantly.

"What's that," Serena asked nervously, not liking where this was going for some reason as her inner self seemed to sense this. She also realized that Serena needed to know about the ramifications of literally resurrecting the dead as she felt Serena's presence omni-locked deep inside of her, the body which she had borrowed in order to combat Omninoir's threatening presence still coursing with the absolute powers of her inner world. "Well, there is a balance for everything in nature, including the balance between life and death," inner Serena started somewhat nervously as she felt rather than heard her other personality's anger and shock threatening to envelop them both. "Wait, you mean to tell me that despite all of our powers, you can't stop this resurrection from killing a ton of other people? And for what, so you can NOT upset some kind of cosmic balance of power?! That's NOT FAIR, THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY!" she heard and felt Serena screaming in true despair as her inner self struggled to somehow lesson the severity of the situation.

"Well they probably most likely won't even be people you know, but honestly Serena the higher-ups, AKA the Omega Omnisphere's Supreme Death God and Entities of fate and stuff don't like having their spheres of control effectively usurped and manipulated to achieve another person's ends. And yes, that is essentially what we are Serena, usurpers of the Omni-Creator. The mere fact there are so many omnipotent and nigh omnipotent beings throughout the whole of creation is somewhat paradoxical, and a recipe for ultimate disaster. Most of the time we can get by without attracting too much fuss and attention, but for beings across the Ultra-Verse there can be struggles for ultimate power and lordship, and either the omnipotence paradox invalidates the supremacy of otherwise omnipotent beings or the entire Omega Omnisphere enters an endless state of destruction and rebirth. It's unwise of us to simply resurrect the dead whenever we want and not have consequences for our actions ensue, to resurrect the dead or oneself without limits is considered unauthorized altercation of the laws of reality and is considered one of the highest offenses to the fundamental laws of the Omega Omnisphere itself," inner Serena explained, begging her avatar, her charge, the girl she was supposed to protect and help understand all of this, to understand what she was saying.

Serena sniffed a little inside the recesses of her own unconscious mind, wiping her hand along her nose and her eyes in a way that would have her mother telling her to go wash up immediately; trying to understand the complexities of her inner self's statement and only really registering one thing, it was a crime against some form of universal law. That alone was enough to tell her that resurrecting the dead for any reason was a serious offense. Then again Omninoir was playing by a whole new set of rules, and didn't care about the fact that he had essentially disrupted fate by causing the deaths of Shauna and Calem, whom he claimed had destinies all on their own, destinies he had just taken from them the opportunity to fulfill. If what he said was true then could Serena justify bringing them back for any reason, even if it meant surrendering the lives of others, people she didn't know?

"Gah, I just don't know WHAT TO DO!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs in frustration as her inner self sighed. "Serena, there is only one thing we can do. We have to bring them back, for while their fates are not as heavily tied to your own as say your best friend Ash, they still have a function to fulfill in your own destiny, which is far greater than any one human life, even hundreds or perhaps thousands. You're going to make enemies on this journey, people will get hurt or worse, but the good you do will far outweigh the bad, so what do you say? Are you ready to see your friends again?

Just remember that they won't remember what has passed and will have their memories modified to accommodate for the amount of time that has elapsed without thinking there are gaps in their memories," inner Serena stated sagely. Serena nodded somewhat hesitantly within her own mind, "alright, do it," she said in a broken voice, hoping beyond all measure that the universe would forgive her for essentially sacrificing the lives of an untold number of strangers just so she, in a supreme act of selfishness, could be allowed to see her friends again. She understood the reasoning behind it and cried tears of joy as her town was brought back to what it was before all this insanity started. Buildings and houses that were destroyed were reformed out of the dirt, as if they and their occupants had never been destroyed. She had her mother and her friends back now; she had even gotten to see an Arceus in the flesh and battled alongside it to save the Omniverse, so why did she still hate herself for it?!


	5. Chapter Four: Fathomless Forces, Terrible Truths, and Joyous Reunions: Part 2

_Dedication: To ShadowLord1295, I know you've been on a real Naruto kick lately mate but hopefully you're able to vest some small interest in this latest chapter lol. If not well just rest assured that I am still honoring our agreements for the most part when I offered to begin this story as a personal favor to you. I honestly can't even fathom how I managed to take this requested story so bloody far but thank you mate for allowing me to keep true to my ongoing godlike characters kick._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its canon characters; all materials are the property of their respective owners, bla, bla, bla. I know that this is required for stories but having to do this disclaimer for every new chapter is a bit tedious; nevertheless I am not inclined to push my luck on here and will play by the rules so long as they remain necessary._

Chapter Four: Fathomless Forces, Terrible Truths, and Joyous Reunions: Part 2

A maelstrom of primordial energies expanded outward within the infinity dome in response to Ash, Primal Palkia, and Omninoir's every titanic clash. The two on one battle for absolute dominance continued as unstoppable forces collided with immovable objects, creating shock waves of omniversal distortion and rending totality apart. Ash was thrown back with the equivalent infinite megatons of force that an omni-nova prized as he and Omninoir 1 Million slammed into each other bodily and at near invariant speeds. They continued this ongoing set of collision courses for an eternally drawn out moment, their speed stretching into the realm of complete absurdity and allowing them to smash into each other a transfinite number of times in the same exact instant.

As both combatants flew back from their latest collision Primal Palkia seized an opportunity to fire off a full powered Spacial Rend attack; a pink blade of pure cosmic energy slicing through the air on a subatomic level towards Omninoir as the distorted, twisted version of Garchomp finished sliding back, just in time for the Anti-God Pokémon to catch the blast. Ash didn't let up and immediately let power flow through to his fists, unlimited energy surging down his arm and concentrating at his hands. He immediately followed up on Palkia's attack and launched a full powered infinite mass punch, his fist vibrating at near limitless velocities just as the blinding flash of light from Palkia's attack receded revealing Omninoir safely behind an impenetrable, full powered protect.

The faster than fast vibrations caused the relativistic mass of Ash's fist to increase infinitum and allowed him to bypass Omninoir's shield. His whole body was now vibrating at near infinite speeds, at the natural frequency of the Omega Omnisphere itself, enabling him to phase out of sync with it almost entirely. His heart was hammering in his chest as fast as he was vibrating and caused the world all around them to pulse with his... pulse, an endless supply of adrenalin coursing through his inhuman veins and endowing him with indefatigable vigor.

He felt truly untouchable and could feel his ultimate intangibility on every level, every layer of his existence as he completely bypassed Omninoir's protect in between the infinitesimal ticks of a Planck time, only for the dragon god to strike with the precision and lightning fast reflexes of a serpent and bite down on Ash's fist, his fathomless biting force clashing with Ash's indestructible, untouchable arm and cancelling out his attack as Ash's body was thrown as hard as Omninoir could chuck him by the mouth. He was sent crashing into the otherworldly surface of the infinity dome with an Omega Omnisphere quaking thud. The thunderous booming sound that followed his collision with this unearthly terrain resounded throughout the entire city even despite the impenetrable dome containing the destruction of the warring beings within, and Ash immediately sensed danger. His infinite precognitive abilities, also known as his omniversal spider sense and many other variations of the ability, went absolutely crazy like countless warning bells in his mind as Omninoir triggered his omni-negation powers to deaden the pallet town trainer's flawless indestructibility. He materialized above the young man and stamped down on him before he could escape with the same force as all their previous collisions, only this time with Ash's flawless indestructibility and immunity being nullified, agony beyond endurance surged through him as his lungs were crushed under the weight of his enemy's attack and every bone in his body was immediately shattered.

Ash's mind and body went into complete and utter shock from the pain, and Primal Palkia gave a roar of pure devastation as he slammed into Omninoir from behind with another quaking shock wave resonating from them. The sheer force of their collision sent the pair of them blasting off at a speed Team Rocket would've been truly envious of. Ash fought to cling to consciousness as his naturally omnipotent powers fought to take control and rid him of this unendurable pain he was now afflicted with. His Meta regeneration had thankfully not been compromised before Palkia redirected Omninoir's focus.

For the briefest of moments he was able to see into the realm of the afterlife, and caught a glimpse of the entire Omega Omnisphere's pantheon of death gods, angels of death, and other such cosmic and omniversal death entities fighting each other over the opportunity to reap the soul of a near omnipotent immortal, fear coursing through him not because of his own death but because of what would befall his native universe and so many others if he allowed Omninoir to remain unchallenged due to his passing. Not that the death gods really cared or understood that, they were just doing their job and frankly it wasn't every day that they got to reap such a powerful soul. Still though despite his understanding of the complexities that made up their nature, Ash was still absolutely relieved when his line of sight was straying further and further away from the world of the afterlife and he felt the pull of his soul back to his body working much like gravity. With Omninoir's absolute super power negation and other abilities distracted from Ash, the Pallet Town wunderkind was able to heal instantly, allowing him to return to the land of the living fully and disappointing his entourage of grim reapers due to his near death experience not becoming the real deal, but it looked like once again Ash Ketchum had managed to cheat death. His lungs and chest healed and expanded back out to their normal size and his bones mended perfectly, snapping back into their proper positions with excruciating relief and allowing him to take his first painless and non fractured breath in what felt like forever.

Ash growled frustratingly as Primal Palkia was sent careening through the air by a massive orb of pink light, a full powered Dazzling Gleam attack compliments of Omninoir doing serious damage as Ash's all seeing retinas burned slightly in response to the massive white out caused by the move, one which would have burned the eyes out of any and every mortal being in the Omega Omnisphere and which even _he_ could feel. Omninoir charged headlong for Ash with killing intent, the whole entire world seeming to stop turning as it waited on baited breath for the fighting to cease and for a victor to emerge. Raichu and Froakie watched in horror from the sidelines while all of Lumiose city gazed at the warring entities in horrified fascination. The entire fight and the young man fighting side by side with his legendary Pokémon was caught on a film by a nearby helicopter with a female news reporter, the woman equally stunned by what she was seeing and struggling to maintain her professionalism as her cameraman and the helicopter got as close as was possible without getting knocked out of the sky by that impenetrable barrier.

Ash, Primal Palkia, and Omninoir were all equally aware of Bonnie and Clemont watching their battle from just a few hundred feet below, near the top of Lumiose tower; unable to believe what they were witnessing and concern for Ash winning out against every other emotion they were currently feeling. The Helicopter with the news hound was getting all of this on video, and Ash bit back a curse upon realizing they were probably able to see his face even within the safety of Primal Palkia's dome; this was going to take some pretty creative explanations and stuff if Ash was going to continue to downplay the full extent of his powers. With everything that was at stake though, Ash knew he couldn't afford to hesitate or hold anything back, but at least Palkia's ability ensured that nobody else had to get hurt.

Ash's mind was racing at an unfathomable rate, he remembered promising Sycamore to save Garchomp but also knew he had to do everything in his power to stop Omninoir; concentrating an almighty blaze into his legs and feeling his right shin and foot heat up with an all-powerful, inextinguishable burst of heat. He channeled everything he had into this unstoppable blaze kick, including the blinding agony from only nanoseconds before that Omninoir put him through, and watched the world warp and disfigure around his blazing leg as he launched it in a roundhouse style kick that Chuck Norris himself would've been proud of. Omninoir ducked underneath the flying roundhouse kick of almighty fire just as Ash brought his other foot around and went with the faster than light motion of his first kick to deliver an infinite mass spinning back kick that would've detonated the entire solar system had it not been for the infinity dome. As it was though, a loud crunching sound was heard as Ash used Omninoir's tactics against him and omni-negated his otherwise flawless physical indestructibility mid-kick, breaking the massive chest plate on the mega Garchomp lookalike and sending the anti-god tearing a swath through the terrain of the floating battle field in the sky.

Omninoir growled in obvious rage, standing to his bipedal, reptilian feet and glaring spitefully at Ash, the monstrous dragon's ruby red eyes and jaws set with omnimalevolent, passionate fury. ' ** _I must admit I am impressed by your tenacity and your spunk boy. But why drag this out, just because you wear that infinity symbol on your chest doesn't mean you're HIM! Fighting HIM would be an honor, but fighting you... is just exercise!_** ' Omninoir proclaimed matter-of-factually in an arrogant monologue. Ash didn't even give Omninoir the benefit of catching him off guard with this intriguing statement, and fearlessly fired a series of full powered electro web attacks, the combination of infinitely strong adhesive and endless electrical energy discharge ensuring the enemy could not escape its shocking grip and would be forced to endure pure agony until they fainted. It had proven an effective strategy for Ash when he had trained and battled alongside his Galvantula in Unova, and he took the liberty of adding some new properties to this one before he fired it.

As Omninoir was ensnared in its inescapable tendrils, Ash added to the web the powers of boundless immunity bypass, absolute super power negation, and the ability to negate every power that could allow Omninoir to escape, evade, fend off, or otherwise allow him to negate, nullify, or manipulate the web by any means short of omnipotent means. On top of all that Ash also included an endless electric type attack and infused the electrical energy with the omni-type capabilities of Arceus in its ascension form, copying the supreme powers of its omni plate and making this Electroweb attack able to ultra effectively damage and destroy any Pokémon and even any being in the Omega Omnisphere. It was a stroke of pure genius on Ash's part, and hopefully enough to fend Omninoir off for a little while because quite frankly this was perhaps one of the most powerful and effective abilities Ash had ever created to ensnare an enemy before. Aside from sparring with his Pokémon occasionally he'd never actually been in a real fight of this nature before and knew that he still had a long way to go before being at his true personal best.

Omninoir roared in what almost appeared to be outrage and surprise when the webbing entangled him despite his efforts to fend it off, having underestimated Ash's resourcefulness and proving his arrogance to be as supreme as his power; Ash may have been a rookie at super powered brawls but he liked to think his naturally limitless creativity and muse was what allowed him to pull this off with style. Omninoir may have had the edge in experience, but his underestimations of Ash's imagination and other human traits was a costly mistake; one he was paying for as his screams of agony resounded throughout eternity.

The sound was the most inhuman thing Ash had ever heard, like a transcendent banshee or a wraith, a phantasm of limitless godlike powers. Delving into his unlimited powers some more, Ash decided to take the phantom thought further and become an Omniarch of death entities, tapping into his vast array of transcendent physiological forms, his composite of divine, almighty transformations to become an omniversal, omni-dimensional lord of the dead, much like the ones he'd seen in his near death experience only infinitely more powerful. Feeling the powers of an omni-slaying death god coursing through him, Ash summoned a scythe with fathomless divine slaying properties and prepared to deliver a truly crippling blow to Omninoir as the Garchomp body snatcher continued to writhe around within the webbing out of pure agony.

He knew there was no way in all the realms of hell throughout totality that he'd be lucky enough to end the war here and now; and he was proven right when Omninoir was forced to abandon his current host or be subjected to unending pain. As Garchomp was freed from Omninoir's control and reverted back to her normal form, several things happened at once. Palkia had thought quickly and fired a full powered totality wrecker at the webbing still ensnaring Garchomp, ripples of totality distorting spheres bursting forth from Palkia's gigantic draconian body and setting Garchomp free before any damage could be done. Ash meanwhile had reverted back to his normal human form and his all-slaying scythe disappeared into the ether; while Omninoir had basically used Garchomp as a means to take his place within the otherwise inescapable webbing. Clearly the Anti-God had implemented some means to escape while leaving Garchomp stuck behind so that the webbing wouldn't think its prisoner had tried to vamoose.

As Ash grudgingly applauded his nemesis for his impressive strategy to bypass his otherwise inescapable net, Omninoir's voice echoed out for all to hear, including everyone down in Lumiose city. ' ** _This isn't over Ketchum, this is just the beginning. To be perfectly clear, nothing is forgiven. There will be a reckoning, and I promise that one day... YOU WILL DIE_**!' the disembodied voice roared with a high enough decibel level to deafen everyone in an infinitely removed alternate world. Ash wasn't foolish enough to think he'd won and merely scoffed at his enemy's statement, refusing to even speak with the dark god at this point and feeling his presence retreat from this point in Lumiose city, even as he battled Lexie back at Sycamore's lab, or so he thought.

Worried for his new friend and hopefully newest traveling companion, Ash was quite unprepared when something breached Palkia's infinity dome. Looking down and all around the infinite expansion of the dome's interior, which was endlessly larger on the inside than it appeared from the out, Ash spotted something that made his eyes widen in astonishment; for as crazy as it seemed the legendary Pokémon Yveltal had hit the scene. Not just any Yveltal either, this one had two pairs of wings and was pure white with pink eyes, giving off a vibe of pure, destructive omnipotence as both it and Primal Palkia growled at each other in some ancient and primordial dialect that Ash barely paid any attention to.

Sensing that the Yveltal wasn't hostile, Ash was amazed when none other than Lexie jumped off its back, along with Bonnie and Clemont whom she must have picked up along the way to meet him here. Smiling in triumph at all of them, Ash quickly noted that while Lexie looked a little worse for wear she appeared unharmed and was as beautiful as ever. Turning his attention to Garchomp, Ash walked over to it and adopted a comforting presence, conveying to the terrified pseudo-legendary that he was harmless via an empathic connection that allowed it to sense Ash's emotions.

"It's going to be okay now Garchomp, that must have hurt eh? Don't worry though everything's going to be fine," Ash promised her as he helped her stand and walked her over to the center of the dome where Amber and the others were waiting, Primal Palkia maintaining the dome as Ash stared from Lexie to Yveltal in true, genuine astonishment. "Lexie how did you..." he dazedly wondered. Said girl giggled at his priceless reaction, pleased she'd actually been able to surprise him with something and trying to come up with some fake story as to how she captured Yveltal when she remembered her promise to come clean to him about everything. It seemed like the battle with Omninoir was over for today and the singularity had been stabilized revealing the late evening sun shining above Lumiose city all bright and shiny and new again.

"It's a long story Ash, and one I'll be happy to tell you... maybe over another meal at that 5 star restaurant because quite frankly I'm famished," Lexie giggled cutely. "So is it finally over, did you win?" Bonnie wondered as Ash chuckled with obvious relief, picking her up and swinging her around a couple of times before pulling the little girl into a loving hug, surprised by how close he'd become to her, Clemont, and even Lexie in such a short amount of time and wanting to hold her in his arms forever as she wrapped hers around his neck and grinned toothily at him.

"Yes it would seem we've managed to stave him off for the time being," Ash chuckled as Bonnie continued to entangle him in a full body hug. "But," Ash added, adopting a serious face, "I'm sure that this is just the preview of what Omninoir is capable of and what he'll go on to do in the future. I may have driven him off for now but I've no doubt he'll be back," Ash admitted, not just to Bonnie but to everyone present as Clemont nodded in understanding and Bonnie gazed in his eyes, still unable to properly comprehend what she had just witnessed Ash do but understanding one thing. He'd just saved a whole helluva lot of lives this day, and quite frankly she would be honored if he would teach her some of the things he'd learned, because if she had even the tiniest fraction of his power or utter mastery of Pokémon battling...

"We've got to be ready for when he does show up again, bad guys like him and Team Flare; the kind that the Police Forces alone can't handle, we need to be able to help them, I want to help them Ash. I've seen what these guys can do, both now and in the past, and we can't leave anybody else behind to suffer for it," Bonnie declared resolutely, displaying an almost inhuman level of maturity for a girl her age as Ash merely nodded, finding himself amazed by her and Clemont both and wishing he didn't have to drag his friends into another war like he had with Team Plasma or Team Galactic. Still though, if Bonnie and even Clemont were this determined to help out and be a part of the war efforts, then who the hell was he to say they were not permitted to do so? His bonus features did not give him the right to trump anyone else's judgement, because despite everything they'd seen today they were still willing to aid him not only on his ongoing Pokémon journey but also in the war efforts, and that alone made Ash certain of the fact that they'd prove to be invaluable allies and even greater friends.

Lexie took a moment to say her piece as Ash put Bonnie down; "Ash you were amazing, it would not be an exaggeration to say you just saved the whole of creation, and I couldn't be prouder to call you a friend, which after what we've done today and everything else I hope we are friends, or perhaps you've got something other than friendship on the mind," Lexie winked suggestively as Ash blushed against his absolute will and Bonnie quirked an eyebrow at the pair of them.

"We should... probably get down from this infinity dome so I can answer all of the inevitable questions the people of Lumiose city will undoubtedly ask. So Palkia, think you can teleport Garchomp somewhere safe down there until I get this sorted out?" Ash wondered, directing his attention from the group to one of his most trusted legendary Pokémon as the lord of omni-dimensional space merely grunted before immediately obliging. There was a fraction of a nanosecond where the Omega Omnisphere was displaced all around Garchomp's body, and then she was gone, in an instant via instantaneous transportation, omniversal displacement, quantum entanglement or whatever the hell else people called it nowadays.

Frowning in confusion as something crossed his mind, Ash stopped partway towards Primal Palkia's back as Bonnie and her brother both jumped on, the former doing so with a practically endless abundance of giddiness whereas Clemont looked like he was going to be sick. Lexie stayed back with Ash as Primal Palkia flew out of the infinity dome with Bonnie and Clemont in tow, wanting to give his trainer and his new lady friend some privacy but still maintaining the infinity dome around them in case Omninoir decided to try and catch them all off guard.

Walking leisurely at his left side while he pondered a new and startling tidbit of information, Lexie nudged him playfully in the side, eliciting a chuckle from him as her tongue protruded from the side of her mouth slightly. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on in that infinitely brilliant brain of yours, or am I going to have to... _coax_ it out of you?" she flirtatiously grinned at him, looking very much like she'd rather him not give up his information so she could do exactly that.

"No coaxing necessary Lex, I'm just a little bit worried about why Dialga hasn't come back yet, among other things," Ash admitted, a sinking feeling in his stomach as Lexie gazed at him in perplexity, confused by why he was worried about something so mundane. "Maybe he's just running late," she suggested half jokingly and half seriously, though she rather doubted it was ever really that simple with Ash. "No Lexie, he's a god of the omni-temporal continuum and of time itself on an omniversal scale, he's _never_ late. And I'm just worried because if he's late it usually means he's being held up by something... or someone, and anyone powerful enough to hold up Dialga, especially in his primal form is not to be trifled with. But I've been thinking about something even worse for the last two minutes or so, though to be honest it was more like a couple of hours. My mind moves really fast and when I think fast enough the world's clock slows down relative to me, allowing me to process infinite amounts of information in less than a second in normal time, but to me it would still feel like an eternity," Ash rambled on, getting slightly off track in the hopes that he could help Lexie better understand all the various subtleties of his powers.

Lexie chortled playfully, finding it really sweet how much he had grown to trust her in such a short amount of time and praying to all the gods of the Pokémon universe that her role in Team Flare would not somehow jeopardize her friendship with Ash. But for some reason she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that although he said nothing could change his positive view of her, he didn't mean it as literally as she wanted to believe and quite frankly she was terrified on the inside that he'd leave her if he knew the truth, and what had happened to her during her fight with the Team Flare grunts. She knew, without knowing how she knew, that his faith in her would be compromised just like Omninoir had said to her. That mistrust would grow and manifest like a cancer, and as the primordial void so eloquently pointed out, she'd be cast aside out of his good graces soon enough.

"So um, what else is troubling you Ash? You know, maybe I can help alleviate some of your stress," Lexie cooed cheekily, wanting to hang on to what the two of them had for just a little bit longer, wanting to pretend that what Omninoir had spoken to her in private did not ring true within her mind and her heart. Ash found himself suddenly wondering how much he should confide in Lexie, because in all truthfulness he'd only met her about five or so hours ago and that was not enough time to truly know and fall in love with someone. Still, despite his sudden reservations Ash was still able to feel totally relaxed and let his guard down around her. What was it about her that made her so damn irresistible? He was fairly certain she was somehow involved with all of this craziness and that she might even be a Chosen Champion of Arceus, but aside from their possible mutual connection to the omnipotent creator of their world, what else was there about them that made Ash feel as drawn to her as the Omniverse had been to that all-powerful singularity an hour or so ago.

"I guess I'm just worried about Omninoir is all. I mean, you saw what he did, with the almighty black hole and what not, and it got me to thinking. I mean, Omninoir is hell bent on conquest not infinite destruction, he's omnimalevolent but he's not omnicidal Lexie. It just seems really out of character for him to be willing to go as far as he did today, and even _he_ must understand the folly of being an Omniarch of totality without an Omega Omnisphere to rule over. There's an even greater evil at work here than Omninoir Lexie, and I'm at a complete loss to identify what it is," Ash confided in her as Lexie rounded on him, her primal Yveltal waiting patiently for them to finish their discussion so it could fly them both down back to civilization.

"But Ash, you said that Omninoir was a god, an almighty being of eternal darkness and destruction and what not," Amber pointed out and Ash nodded in perfect understanding of her incredulity before he replied. "I know what I said Lexie, but in the endless hierarchy of Anti-Gods, Demonic Gods, and other evil pantheons across the Omega Omnisphere, the 1 millionth incarnation of Omninoir is not all that high up the food chain so to speak. I'm worried that Omninoir might not be who he says he is, or that he is catering to the whims of another, far more ancient and renowned primordial void out of pure respect and reverence. Endless eternities ago Lexie, there was once the Omniarch of Anti-Gods and the almighty creator and divine ruler of the entire Omega Omnisphere and all of its pantheons, good or evil, omnipotent and nigh omnipotent alike, and his name was Zeneptron. He created the Omega Omnisphere concept and was the first embodiment of Omnipotence to ever exist, the prime aspect of the Omnipotence Nexus and Its infinite avatars, faces, and names.

It was he who first decreed that all omnipotent, almighty, and truly invincible beings be merely another aspect of his existence, another face, name, or identity of him, and thus just another part of the Omnipotence Nexus's infinite whole, but he was twisted Lexie. He created the Omega Omnisphere and everything in it for the sole purpose of turning it and everything in it into his own personal play things, his stomping ground as it were. His reign of absolute tyranny and his enmity with all the mightiest heroes in the Omega Omnisphere was the stuff of legends, and if not for the legendary Man of Infinities usurping him our world and infinite others would still be under his thumb. Nevertheless, despite the fact that he was destroyed, it is possible some trace of his infinite existence still remains, or that his Chosen Heir to the throne of the Source Anti-God may in fact have a hand in this," Ash spoke lengthily, Lexie gazing at him wide eyed like an owl the whole time. "I'm sorry Ash but you completely lost me there, can you repeat all that," she requested with a world pageant winning teasing smile as Ash sighed in slight irritation. Some people just had no understanding of the stories of old that explained the origins of the Omega Omnisphere, oh well, it wasn't like he entirely understood or believed them either but still.

"Long story short, I'm saying that Zeneptron was the king of the proverbial roost, and someone higher up like him could've had a hand in Omninoir's uncharacteristic behavior," Ash simplified the explanation of what he believed to be a truly awe-inspiring legend, but then again despite their importance to the Omega Omnisphere, the members of Totality's Mightiest Heroes were masters of the skill of anonymity. And their leader, the legendary Man of Infinities himself, was so far beyond mortal comprehension with his feats and accomplishments that although his name resounded throughout eternity; few ever truly knew who he was and simply believed him to be whatever they wished, and depending on a specific universe's traits and characteristics or what they knew him by, the identity and titles of Appaneesty were endlessly variant. The whole point of his thought process was to help them better understand what it was they were up against, and to discern why Dialga was so unbelievably late for his return to his master ball.

As if on cue, a massive blue portal opened up in the sky just slightly above the exterior of the infinity dome, and Dialga slowly and elegantly glided out in its primal form. Ash could immediately sense something was wrong as he grabbed Lexie and held her in his arms protectively, surprised that he couldn't place the source of his paranoia but acting on pure instinct as Dialga looked down upon them with absolute zero coldness, eternal indifference and soul chilling ungodly disdain.

Without saying so much as a word to them to indicate what the problem was, Ash was astounded when he felt the presence of Bonnie suddenly teleporting within the dome behind him and Lexie and Yveltal. Dialga reared back before firing a Roar of the Omega Omnisphere attack point blank at Palkia's Infinity dome, the omni-colored stream of pure energy temporarily blinding Ash's all-seeing eyes and collapsing the infinity dome within a fraction of a Planck time. Primal Yveltal was able to take to the skies but seemed to be struggling in midair, and Ash was just about to levitate him, Lexie, and Bonnie to safety when he suddenly had a horrifying realization. As impossible as it was, despite every known fundamental law of the Omega Omnisphere, and in spite of everything else including the complete absurdity of it all, Ash's powers were stripped clean.

 _All of them_ , his omnipotent apotheosis and his connection to the Omnipotence Nexus had somehow impossibly been deadened and maybe even severed altogether, and with that beyond terrifying thought in mind, Ash and Lexie began their untimely plummet towards the ground below, completely and utterly powerless to stop what was about to happen as both he and Lexie seemed to realize what had happened at the same time. They were barely able to see past the tears streaming in their eyes as they reached terminal velocity and fell towards the city below, Bonnie just a few seconds ahead of them and beyond Ash's power to save as he held onto Lexie for dear life and came to the impossible realization that he was going to die.

Was this how it was going to end?! It couldn't be, not like this, it was not his fate to die this day, but then again he knew better than anyone how fickle fate could be! His heart pounding in his ribcage but at now perfectly human speeds, Ash tried to fight his urge to panic as his brain worked overtime to come up with a solution, but they were falling too fast, and despite the absurdity of the situation his powers were indeed gone, which meant that. ' _I can't stop this from happening, we're going to die and I'm never going to know what exactly that thing that controlled Dialga was_?' were his last thoughts before he closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable, knowing there was nothing else to be done at this moment and not sure if his Pokémon had been similarly nullified, even with Lexie screaming in his ears at him to do something, he knew he couldn't stop this. For the first time in his whole entire life, even before his deification, Ash Ketchum 1 Million was wholly, maddeningly, impossibly, perfectly... _powerless_!

XXXXX

_Approximately Half an Hour before, Back at Sycamore's Lab_

Heart pounding in her ribcage at a million miles a second, check; fear and terror welling up inside of her like a tsunami, check, a professor and his assistant several blocks away trying to alert the authorities to the incredible danger and leaving her here, double check. Overwhelmingly powerful and malevolent force of darkness threatening the entire world, once more Amber checked off another part of her list of insane events as she gazed at the mindless, soulless zombies that once served as her top grunts. Now their eyes were lifeless and glassy, staring into infinity itself uncomprehendingly and with complete omninescience. They were frothing at the mouth like rabid animals rendered crazy by some deadly disease, but Amber knew they were merely symptoms and that this Omninoir Ash told her about was the source of the plague. One thing above all others was clear to her and at the very forefront of her mind. This was the very same monster that haunted her nightmares her entire childhood, the very same demonic god, the Black Mew that had murdered her parents and then attempted to do the same to her and her starter Pokémon Sylveon.

Amber had longed for the day when she could look this dark god in the eye and fight for her family's vengeance, but now that she was here and seeing this thing with her own eyes for the first time in almost a decade; she felt like that scared little girl all over again and found to her horror that she was just as afraid of him now as she had been back then. Despite all her hard work to master the art of Pokémon Battling on an omnipotent level, despite her induction into Team Flare and partnership with Lysandre who promised to not only help her train but also to shield her from the darkness of the world until she was truly ready to face it and do what needed to be done. To her, Omninoir wasn't just some supernatural being with unlimited cosmic powers, to her he represented all that was wrong with the world and by extension all other worlds in the totality of existence.

She was startled out of her fear-ridden reverie when Omninoir chuckled, using the mouths of her grunts as his own, a rank aura polluting the air as his mere presence gave off pulsating vibes of pure, unadulterated force and evil. It was enough to render most mortals little more than scared little children, but Amber refused to let this thing scare her anymore than was necessary.

" ** _You are quite right when you think of me as representing all that is wrong with the world Amber Valentino, but such is my nature and such as it has always been and will always be. Of all the different omnipotent beings out there, the concept of the Anti-God is perhaps the most corrupting of them all. But alas this is neither here nor there; I am here to discuss you and your... hopeless situation. You really think you alone possess the power to vanquish me and purge me from existence? Face it Amber, you are NOTHING, and now with my presence highlighting all the worst parts of who you've always been, your true self is revealed. You are nothing but a scared little girl, all alone in the world crying for mommy and daddy_** ,' Omninoir cackled menacingly at her, and Amber gritted her teeth as a Pokeball comprised entirely of dark matter and energy appeared in her number one grunt's hand, sensing that whatever was contained within it would probably possess powers rivaling that of her strongest level infinity Pokémon.

"At least I had a family to cry for, but what would you understand about the human capacity for love and caring? Nothing about you is human Omninoir, and it never will be," Amber retaliated, not wanting to get dragged into some kind of debate about some of the more questionable choices she made, especially with an ungodly being who was able to bring out the darkest aspects of her existence with just his mere presence. " ** _Good thing to, humanity truly is the grand architect of its own undoing. All you need to do is give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves. For all your bravado Amber I can see inside of your soul, I know the things you have done in the name of good intentions, but the road to hell itself is paved with pure intentions my dear. You're incorruptible sadly, otherwise I'd be more than happy to take over your mind and body and violate you in ways you couldn't even begin to imagine_**." Omninoir gurgled lasciviously, orgasmic-ally amused by Amber's thoughts and emotions which he claimed he was able to read off of her like one would read a picture book for kids.

Amber gritted her teeth in response, knowing that he was just trying to stir up more negativity, anger, and resentment within her for him to feed off of and yet failing to keep him from succeeding in the endeavor. She knew she was wasting her time to keep him talking but she needed to know why in the hell he had destroyed her life single handed. "Drop the pretense Omninoir; if you can read my thoughts and emotions then you know why I'm bothering to have this rather intimate and lively chat with you. Why did you take my only family away from me, and don't tell me there's no reason because I doubt it was just for kicks in my case," Amber bit out sardonically.

Omninoir's response was to continue cackling like a maniacal Mightyena, finding his response in the middle of his mirthless guffawing. " ** _You overestimate your importance Amber, but you are right about one thing; I did kill your parents, the only thing I failed to do that night was what I came to your house to do... kill you. If I were you though Amber I'd be thanking me, because your life is so much better now thanks to what I have done. Just think about it, the power you amassed, the utter mastery of Pokémon battling you've attained through rigorous training, and the beloved Pokémon partner you inherited from a long line of champion level trainers and top coordinators. All of this boils down to the simple fact that you were stripped down to nothing and had to claw your way to power. If it hadn't been for me Amber, none of that would've happened, and you might not have found out about your alleged connection to Arceus otherwise_** ," Omninoir proclaimed with an air of pure arrogance and expectancy, as though awaiting her to somehow grovel and profess her undying loyalty to him out of sheer reverence for all the good things that had happened in her life because of what he did. Yeah, like bloody hell that was going to happen; while she would admit that many good things arose from that horrible night they didn't necessarily outweigh the trauma she had endured, or the pain of loss and the void in her soul that still remained even to this day.

"If you're expecting a thank you I'm afraid I'm not in a particularly thankful mood, especially since all the good things in life that arose from that horrible night were of my own doing and my own ability to transcend the situation and nobody else's. You had nothing, _NOTHING_ to do with any of the good things that came from years of training myself to make the best of a bad situation. _I MAKE MY OWN LIFE, I'M MY OWN PERSON, AND I ALONE CONTROL MY DESTINY_! If there is anything I have learned from Ash these past hours it is that even though he and I and other people may be destined for greatness, we have a choice as to how we go about fulfilling said destiny," Amber declared passionately, not willing to stall anymore since she finally understood why her parents had to die. It may have been horrible and traumatic to witness, but it got easier every day, and no matter how twisted he was Amber knew that in some strange way Omninoir was right about one thing.

He was right about the fact that she wouldn't have become the person she is today if not for the trials and adulations she endured in her childhood; she'd have never met Ash, never had her fate tied to his. She decided here and now, that if she got out of this confrontation with Omninoir alive she'd tell Ash everything about her involvement with Team Flare and defect from them if that was what it took to earn his trust. Besides, she was sure Lysandre would understand that some things superseded her devotion to him and Team Flare, wouldn't he? This whole situation had become a helluva lot bigger than just her or any of Team Flare's goals for changing the world for the better, with the whole of creation at stake and her new friend with benefits needing her even if he didn't admit it; suddenly her life with Lysandre and everything else she thought she knew about the world seemed so utterly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

" ** _So tell me Amber, what would Ash truly think, knowing you're in bed with Team Flare? From what I've observed he seems pretty set on opposing any member of the new Team Flare, as much as his father did the old one I'd say? What do you honestly think someone with Ash's moral compass would have to say to your involvement with a team whose very name strikes fear into the hearts of millions?_** " Omninoir omnipathically pronounced, interrupting Amber's thought process as she immediately responded with all the valiant courage she could muster. "He would stand by me," she insisted, trying not to let him get inside her head but failing spectacularly.

" ** _But his faith in you would be compromised. That mistrust, it would grow, it would manifest like a cancer. Inevitably you'd be cast aside, out of his good graces, like I was when Arceus appealed to his inability to blur the line between right and wrong or good and evil_** ," Omninoir hissed, his mirthless and malicious grin splitting the faces of all three of her grunts at once, making her shudder as she fingered the master ball containing her fully trained Yveltal, the very same almighty legendary Pokémon provided to her by Lysandre. She'd had it with talking to this inhuman piece of shit and was ready to take him down; her empathic bond with her Pokémon allowing her to detect subtle traces of their equally enraged and vengeful states of mind, projecting their feelings of support through a powerful wavelength as Amber braced herself for the fight of her life.

Just as she prepared to initiate the battle and Omninoir's main puppet tightened the Pokeball of black energy in his hand, another party entered the room. Amber recognized his presence even before she saw him, but was astounded that he was here as she shifted her gaze towards the laboratory's entrance behind her possessed grunts to see Lysandre's towering, majestic, slightly intimidating form as he stood in the doorframe of the lab's entrance. His blazing, fiery red eyes locked on hers and they widened as they took in the rest of the situation, the three possessed grunts standing between him and the closest thing he had to a daughter.

Omninoir's puppets grinned maliciously in perfect unison upon sensing the intrusive presence of her fatherly figure standing behind them. Amber wanted to shout to Lysandre to run but he simply walked right past the three grunts, never taking his piercing, intense eyes off of them. He didn't stop walking until he was standing across the entrance hall from Omninoir at Amber's side, and with that action completed he finally spoke, but not to Omninoir... to her.

"Amber, leave this psychopath to me, you go find Ash and his friends and do whatever it takes to win his allegiance. Team Flare could only benefit from someone with his skill set and utter mastery of Pokémon battles, but more importantly try to enjoy this precious time you've fought so hard for. Promise me Amber that you'll fly away from here and never look back," Lysandre whispered hurriedly to her, watching Omninoir out of the corner of his eye in case he tried something, but the Anti-God seemed content to simply stand there and grin at them, the air absolutely rank with a wicked aura that set the world throbbing.

"But I..." Amber started, unable to comprehend the absurd notion that this could be goodbye and that Lysandre was letting her go. Lysandre interrupted her reverie, "Promise me Amber that just for now you'll fly as far from here as possible. You can rejoin me after this crisis is dealt with but for now this whole city is ground zero and I want you out of here," he insistently stated, reminding Amber of Ash for a second as understanding dawned on her that this wasn't really goodbye.

Still if Lysandre expected her to simply run away when the whole of creation was at stake then he didn't know her very well. As if reading her mind, Lysandre cast a quick sly smile out of the corner of his mouth as he drew a Pokeball from his belt and prepared to unleash merry hell on Omninoir, or so Amber hoped as her Yveltal immediately sensed her thoughts and appeared from his master ball. Yveltal's massive, towering form took up almost the entire room and his indestructible head punched a hole through the roof as Amber swiftly climbed onto his back with practiced ease, urging him onward and sparing a glance at both Omninoir and Lysandre as both combatants sized each other up, fingering their respective Pokeballs calculatingly as Amber shook herself out of her own morose thoughts and had Yveltal phase itself and her through the building via the full power of its phantom force attack.

In their shadowy and invisible state Amber felt Yveltal undergoing the drastic changes of his primal reversion as she formulated a plan of attack and looked out upon the city. The first thing she and countless other people in the city noticed was the massive, brilliant dome of sheer power taking up half the sky, stronger than the light of the sun and yet people were unable to look away as two massive towering figures and a humanoid being clashed within the dome's boundaries with apocalyptic brutality. Amber knew immediately who the humanoid was and recognized one of the massive draconian figures, but didn't recognize the third one and assumed Ash had summoned another of his legendary arsenal. As if Primal Dialga wasn't enough, but it seemed that like her Ash was full of surprises.

Amber honestly wasn't sure how Lysandre had obtained the eggs containing her two legends Yveltal and Xerneas but assumed he had found them in a nest laid by the prime members of their species, the ones Lysandre himself once used to try and obliterate 90 percent of earth's population using the ultimate weapon. Amber herself had always know what he had tried to do, but lived by the school of thought that everyone deserved a second chance and a chance at redemption. If anyone could understand and respect that she figured it was Ash, but perhaps he would also feel like Lysandre needed to pay for his crimes which meant that he'd be locked away in prison for the rest of his life and never get a chance to fix his mistakes or truly seek redemption for his past actions. If it wasn't for the fact that he clearly had remorse she would not have hesitated to help put him behind bars but she had to wonder if the justice system was flawed for containing reformed criminals even when they were truly trying to make amends.

Still, despite this making perfect sense to Amber herself she couldn't shake what Omninoir had said to her out of her head; even riding the winds on Yveltal's almighty back was not enough to shake the depressing thoughts from her head. She didn't believe in the ability to truly fall in love with somebody after only knowing them for a day or so, but Ash was omnipotence incarnate, maybe he played by a completely different set of rules from everybody else. Hell, why he even respected or abided by human laws was beyond her; why should the rules humanity lived by apply to someone like him? Hell, it wasn't like there was anyone on this earth who could really force him to comply with anything.

She watched as the deified human being she'd had so much fun with clashed mightily with the possessed Garchomp, the shock wave not breaching past the barriers but the sound so loud it made a planet sized thunderstorm seem completely inaudible by comparison. People couldn't see her and Yveltal due to their blending with the darkness but she could see them screaming or pointing up at the dome of light where the three godlike beings were firing off a barrage of attacks. ' _Yveltal, you need to hurry and pick up the pace. I want to be part of the action too, and Ash may need our help,_ ' Amber instructed the legendary entity mentally as the Destruction Pokémon phased directly through a building and Amber saw people, walls, rooms, and doors all whiz by her as she and her signature legendary Pokémon literally passed through them like ghosts. It forced Amber to clutch her whooping stomach as both joy and slight nervousness coursed through her, at the thought of something going wrong and the pair of them becoming solid again,, just in time to smash into a wall or kill lots of innocent people.

' _Amber, about what the Anti-God said; don't set too much store by it. Omninoir seems like the type of deceiver to spout half truths and perhaps Ash will be more reasonable than you're giving him credit for right now,_ ' Yveltal tried to reassure her while speeding alongside a passing flock of Fletchling and disappearing through another skyscraper and coming out through the roof as he began ascending.

' _I don't know about that Yveltal. Ash seems like a really nice guy but I don't think he's one to really look the other way when someone like Lysandre is running around trying to fix his mistakes. I want to believe I can persuade him to join our cause like Lysandre asked me to, but I'm worried that after the stunt my stupid possessed grunts pulled he'll never trust me or anything to do with Team Flare again once he realizes the truth,_ ' Amber pessimistically responded. ' _Then don't go back with Team Flare. If Ash's opinion means that much to you in such a short amount of time then defect from the team while you still can. I and your other Pokémon have always told you you're in deep with the wrong people but you refused to believe Lysandre could be capable of repeating his past sins. You may owe Lysandre for saving your life but that debt was paid by now. So if he expects you to cater to his every whim for the rest of your life just because he was in the right place at the right time to rescue you from the fire, then he's just a colossal prick who doesn't know when to let somebody out of a debt_ ,' Yveltal advised her sagely as Amber sighed once more. She honestly just wasn't as optimistic about this as she ought to be and what Omninoir said held a grain of truth to it, of that she was quite certain.

' _Let's just focus on the task at... wait, is that Bonnie and Clemont on top of Prism tower? I thought Ash was taking them with him?_ ' Amber noted observantly as they closed in on prism tower, which stood directly beneath the translucent floor of pure energy that made up the base of the dome. She was able to very clearly make out two windblown heads of yellow hair standing atop the highest level of the tower that humans could safely stand upon. Undoubtedly it was the pair of siblings, and making a quick detour Amber guided Yveltal down towards them, surprising the hell out of them as both appeared from out of the darkness and the massive, intimidating form of the Pokémon who embodied destructive omnipotence flapped its wings almightily above them.

"What the... Bonnie, get back!" she heard Clemont scream in pure fright, and for good reason she supposed as Amber realized she probably could've gone about this in a better way. Keeping one eye on the battle above her, Amber noticed that Ash and his massive dragon god partner were slowly gaining some form of upper hand. She had tuned out Omninoir's parting words as Ash managed to land a crippling blow that forced the anti-god to abandon his current host, some form of adhesive of Ash's own design crumbling away from Garchomp's now noticeably tinier frame as the dragon Pokémon of Ash's fired some massive, rotating orbs of pure energy that seemed to saw through the very fabric of reality itself in its trajectory.

"Guys it's okay, it's my Pokémon," Amber said reassuringly as Yveltal lowered his head and craned his neck slightly to reveal his trainer riding on his back. "Lexie, thank goodness you're here. I was just about to ask my brother to invent something to get us up there but now I don't have to. I can't believe he won; I knew he could do it but still... that thing seemed unstoppable," Bonnie rambled excitedly as Clement shook his head and sighed in defeat. "Bonnie sometimes you're so... argh. I'm sorry Lexie but this has been a really long and strange day, but it least it seems to be over," Clement partially shouted above the blustering winds whipping at the four of them as Yveltal and Amber both offered the pair a ride up into that dome. Yveltal's Primal form had a very unique and extremely powerful ability called totality consumption by the ancient Kalosian people; it was basically a living breathing black hole like the one that nearly slaughtered the omniverse only an hour ago or so, but alive and able to feed on anything including all opposing Pokémon attacks and abilities. Not only did it sap any and all opposing Pokémon's energy it could instantly knock out any Pokémon that wasn't already level infinity with its ability alone, and deal infinite amounts of damage without even having to make a move.

So absorbing the energy of that dome, which she suspected was that dragon Pokémon's special ability, and breaching its seemingly impenetrable boundaries, didn't seem like much of a stretch in Amber's opinion. She could always wait for Ash to come down but why wait when she could surprise him in a rather theatrical fashion? Yveltal was growing impatient and let out a massive shriek like some cosmic scaled banshee or wraith; startling Clement and even Bonnie a little as Amber opted to offer them both a ride.

"I don't know about this, is it safe?" Clement wondered, referring to the legendary Pokémon himself rather than the thought of riding it. Amber couldn't help but laugh, "Of course he isn't safe Clement, he's a godlike legendary Pokémon driven wild by the unlimited powers of Primal Reversion; did you think he was as docile as one of your electric type gym Pokémon or something? No, he's an all-powerful force of nature, a legendary entity of omnipotent upper limits; but you can ride him if you like. I don't think he would be too opposed to it so long as you both ask him nicely," Amber informed him like she were discussing something as mundane as the time of day or the weather outside.

Clement gulped audibly but Bonnie rolled her eyes and walked right to the edge of the tower despite Clement's earlier warnings to her to get back and smiled up at the four winged, pure white, pink eyed deity of domination flapping its wings above her. Yveltal slowly lowered himself down to ensure Bonnie was able to climb on safely while Clement shuffled nervously behind, failing to suppress a startled shriek when Yveltal snarled at him, his silver teeth the size of bananas and bared upon sensing Clement's fear.

"Come on you wuss, he won't bite... probably," Amber smirked as Bonnie laughed and jumped onto his back and Yveltal purred like a kitten in response to her total absence of fear while Clement swallowed one more time and finally climbed up on top of him behind Bonnie and was surprised when his body was suddenly fastened to the behemoth's back without him needing to hold on. It was as though Yveltal was a massive source of gravitons and his gravity field made Clement feel extremely heavy and unable to move as Amber pointed to the sky and Yveltal gave a mighty roar and flew straight up towards the barrier without an ounce of fear. He could sense another omniversal entity up there with primordial energies surging through it and was still deciding if the thing was friend or foe just as he loosely followed his trainer's commands and passed right through the barrier like it was smoke; unable to shake the sudden, inexplicable sense of deep foreboding and opting to keep an eye on his trainer in case something went wrong and Omninoir came back with a vengeance. Even to his currently primitive and instinct-prone mind Yveltal could sense something was off about this whole situation. What in the Omega Omnisphere would drive an aspiring Omniarch of totality like the Anti-God Pokémon to try and commit acts of mass omnicide when that was counterproductive to becoming an ultimate ruler? Maybe it was just easier to destroy everything and recreate the totality in his own twisted image, but Yveltal could sense there was more to it than that, and figured he would find out sooner or later and opted to talk to this Primal Palkia about it and exchange notes with the first of the Palkia species in the entire 1 Millionth universe. He had been around for Arceus knows how many eons so maybe it would know more, either way until they knew whatever was going on then there was every chance that things would go to absolute hell before long.

XXXXX

Of all the bizarre and mind blowing things she had seen today, watching as her formerly dead friends and loved ones returned to life and the town was destroyed in complete reverse was perhaps the strangest thing Serena had ever seen. She was thrilled beyond measure that her friends and mother didn't have to die, even more so that Omninoir was gone and she was back in control of her body, but the guilt of putting others to death so her friends and family could live was still weighing on her just as heavily as it was initially.

Vaniville town was restored to glory, all of the lives lost in the battle were restored, and she didn't have to go through the agony of losing two of her closest friends or the only family she had left, so why did she still feel like today was not a victory? The answer was simple really; nobody should have to die even if she didn't know them. To hell with her destiny or those of the people in her life, this was one screwed up reality if it went by the philosophy of a life for a life and a soul for a soul. She didn't give two shits about a cosmic balance of power between life and death, the fact that random nameless people had to die because of her inability to protect her town and its people was complete and utter bull shit. For once in her life Serena was beyond words and was so mad at the unfairness of it all that she couldn't even focus on the positive sides of this resurrection.

If her inner self represented all that she was and had the potential to be, and she herself was some almighty god bound in human form; then why couldn't she protect everyone? Why did people have to die when she had the unlimited powers to stop it and save absolutely everyone? Wasn't the whole point of an omnipotent existence to be capable of absolutely anything no matter how absurd? Who the hell was in charge of deciding exactly what it meant to be omnipotent? That was a question Serena wanted answered so she could find them and give them a piece of her fucking mind. She hated the powerlessness and impotence she felt despite the fact that she should've been capable of anything? Had the definition of omnipotence changed, or was true omnipotence as she defined it an absolute, illogical impossibility? Perhaps there was a reason that unlimited powers had certain power limitations or certain things it could not do. Perhaps there was some fundamental law of the omniverse that dictated what it meant to be all-powerful in every sense and aspect. If that was the case, then being a god was incredibly overrated.

The Arceus who had helped her battle that monstrous entity was floating beside her; watching as the town and its people rebuilt themselves and sending her condolences to Serena through some powerful telepathic wavelength. ' _I sincerely apologise child; I am not yet at the full potential of my species and did everything I could to help you fend him off. It won't be the last we've seen of him, that's for sure, and we all need to be ready for him when he does return. I don't know what I can say or do to make this situation easier for you, except that people die all the time. Whether or not you had a hand in their deaths, no matter how indirectly; the fact remains that the human race is on a clock either way, their time in the world of the living is limited typically, so I really don't think it makes a difference how they die so long as they get to live their lives to the fullest. Who knows, they might even be able to live for a really long time before their time is finally up. If there is anything I've learned it's that the Omega Omnisphere handles its own omnipotence unconsciously but it is usually pretty fair and absolutely set on how it does things. It's the members of the Omnipotence Nexus, the almighty beings who are actually sentient and self aware on an omniversal level who you need to watch out for_ ,' Arceus telepathically advised her as Serena nodded, not really paying attention as she wondered why nobody acknowledged the presence of the legendary Pokémon in mid-air above her even as one of the town's senior citizens waved politely at her as he passed her by.

' _Selective imperceptibility, renders me completely invisible, inaudible, and undetectable by any means except to the people I choose to let perceive me and be aware of my presence_ ,' Arceus explained, evidently reading her surface thoughts as Serena again nodded mutely, the power of coherent speech completely beyond her at this point as things settled down in Vaniville town like nothing had happened, like absolutely nothing had taken place. That wasn't true of course, everything had been forever changed, and Vaniville town was about to wake up to a very harsh reality when they tuned into the Lumiose city news channel no doubt. Something was going on over there as well, and Omninoir's parting shot struck a chord and she suddenly realized that Ash may have been somehow involved in this.

The mere thought of Ash not only being closer to her than he has been in years but also in incredible danger from that monstrosity who slaughtered her entire hometown was enough to jar her back to her senses. The sheer gravity of the situation suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks, and she was just about to head off when Arceus suddenly called out to her, asking her to wait so she did; albeit impatiently and in a hurried state of mind. ' _I wouldn't have tried to ask you to hold on a minute if it wasn't important my child. You see I am faced with the unfortunate complication of having no contacts on earth who can aid me in my efforts to take up the fight against Omninoir, and I doubt I am capable of taking him on by my lonesome. You've definitely proven yourself capable in the heat of battle, and the two of us have a common interest in stopping this nutcase from achieving his objective. So what I am going to propose is a rather radical solution to our mutual problems. You see, I've met your childhood friend Ash before, and he has reminded me of the goodness of humanity even when I felt betrayed and was willing to destroy the world in order to pass judgement on the human race. Of course I wasn't acting entirely of my own free will and Omninoir's presence may have had a hand in my increased, irrational anger towards people especially when I am normally very stoic and keen to examine every possible explanation before concluding that all humans are bad._

 _Anyways, my point of this discussion is that I wish to join forces with you. At least for the time being, but do not mistake my presence on your Pokémon roster as compliance to your every command or the willingness to battle other Pokémon on your behalf whenever you choose. I am a wild, untamed, supreme force of nature Serena Yvonne and I will not be treated as a Pocket Monster you keep trapped in some Pokeball. These are my conditions for now, and if I should decide that you're a worthy trainer of me in the future then perhaps I might put myself towards helping you achieve your own dreams and desires but only then. Do we have an accord_?' Arceus concluded his shocking proposition as Serena's brain exploded from the overwhelming absurdity of this intensely discombobulating and shocking turn of events.

"Wait a minute, hold on. You're seriously suggesting that we team up against a common enemy? I haven't even formulated any plans of any kind yet and you're already acting like we're soldiers caught in the middle of a war," Serena frustratingly responded, struggling to recover herself as Arceus sighed in slight irritation. ' _This IS a war Serena, whether you planned for it or not. The whole of creation is at stake here, and as one of my father's selected champions of the Omega Omnisphere, I'm afraid you have little choice_ ,' Arceus spoke forcefully to her as Serena suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu and realized she must've had this conversation with somebody before and repressed the memory of it somehow.

This couldn't be how things went down before she even got a chance to start her Pokémon journey; this was way too much way too fast. She couldn't take it anymore and sank to her knees in utter defeat; she was just a human girl, even if she was containing some almighty goddess within her spiritual recesses she had been born and raised as a human being. This whole grand scheme of gods and anti-gods was so out of her depth and so far beyond what her psyche could safely handle that she just couldn't cope. She didn't ask for any of this, but now she was stuck waist deep in situations that no human could possibly understand. She needed to stop this before someone got seriously hurt, namely her or someone she cared about.

Arceus's demeanor softened upon sensing her train of thought; and she decided that she would do her best to help Serena make sense of all of this to the best of her ability. ' _Look, I know you're upset and in way over your head. This situation is bigger than any normal human being can ever imagine, but you're not normal Serena. You've never been normal, I mean sure you may have lived in the delusion of mediocrity for most of your life but the fact is you're destined to accomplish unlimited wonders and miracles the likes of which these teeming masses of regular Pokémon trainers can't even begin to dream of even in their wildest fantasies. So the stakes are higher for you than they are for everyone else and the responsibilities you bear are greater than everybody else, but you already have everything you will ever need to see these situations through unto the ends of the Omega Omnisphere itself. The only thing standing between you and your heart's deepest and most desperate desires... is you. You have no idea how strong you will become Serena 1 Million, and frankly you'll never know your limits because you won't have any._

 _Look, how about we make a deal here? If you try and live up to your vast potential I promise to do my best to help you understand the complexities that make up your nature and that of the Omega Omnisphere as best I can. I've been a member of my omnipotent species all my life and like to think I'm pretty knowledgeable on all of this,_ ' Arceus proposed kindly. Serena looked up from the dirt and into the incandescent entity standing on air before her; wondering if it was already too late for her to walk away from all of this or if she ever even had a choice in the first place. How could someone who was as powerful as she supposedly was still be constrained by fundamental laws and bear responsibilities equal to what she was capable of?

On the other hand, if she did go through with this the power to be and do anything was hers for the taking? Many people would be ecstatic in her position to be quite frank and most people would never have this kind of opportunity. The pros definitely seemed to outweigh the cons in this case, and maybe Arceus was right, maybe the people whose lives would be exchanged for her resurrected town would be allowed to live out their lives fully before death finally came to collect. It wasn't necessarily a win-win situation in her books, but it would have to do. She supposed she could just quit while she was still ahead and try to walk away from all of this, but Ash had drilled it into her head to never, ever quit no matter how bad things got or how hopeless things seemed. She would be damned forever if she let this opportunity to help save so many people and to possibly save all of creation from an entity that made Giratina seem positively underwhelming and unintimidating in comparison.

"I'll do it," she finally said with a level of resolution that surprised even her. Arceus nodded, feeling pride for this human course through her somewhat against her will upon suddenly realizing that if Serena became a Pokémon champion of the Omega Omnisphere she might actually be worthy of having an Arceus on her team. Lord Percy Jackson only knew that Pokémon trainers like the chosen three of the 1 millionth universe or especially the legendary Ash Ketchum Infinity who was such a ghost to the Omega Omnisphere that precious few in the Ultra-Verse believed in his existence, completely redefined the concept of Pokémon mastery and being the best like no one ever was on a completely unprecedented, omniversal scale. This kind of Pokémon mastery simply didn't exist in the Omega Omnisphere until the Ultra-Verse was born, but now it was far more commonplace here ever since Ash Infinity set the standards for the UV's top tier trainers and omniversal Pokémon masters.

' _Then consider us two officially united against the forces of oppression. I must admit young one that I'm not completely opposed to the idea of actually joining your roster of Pokémon but right now I will reserve judgement until I get to know you better and how you'll react in the dark and dangerous times ahead. If you do end up living up to your potential as a future Pokémon champion of totality, the kind of trainer who flattens world champion caliber trainers like Red on a daily basis, then I will most definitely hasten to join you for real. Until that day comes however I will not yield. I am much pickier and more hesitant to offer my full allegiance than my father. Keep in mind that even members of the same legendary Pokémon species can have vastly different personalities and tastes in trainers,_ ' Arceus telepathically declared as Serena nodded in perfect understanding.

"That's fair; I can already tell this going to be a very... interesting partnership. I have so many questions but can we table our conversation until I see what the situation in Lumiose city is, I'm worried about Clemont, Bonnie, Trevor, and professor Sycamore. If Ash is there to then I've got to see for myself that he's okay. I still don't understand half of what's going on, even with my obviously enhanced intelligence as of the last few minutes; but I can't sit idly by and watch the people of Lumiose city die," Serena determinedly said.

Arceus nodded in understanding and followed Serena back to her house, landing on the ground and galloping across the streets ahead of her and with complete inaudibility; phasing through people, sign posts, and her front yard fence like a ghost and without anybody other than her being any the wiser. Serena briefly wondered how Arceus planned to fit in her house but figured if she could walk through solid objects like she was smoke then perhaps size wasn't an issue. Still though, Arceus had to be at least ten feet tall so it was with a bit of unease that Serena followed her through her front door, not even pausing to give Rhyhorn a pat and surprised by how tense the rhino-like Pokémon seemed.

"Serena, take a look at this, something unbelievable is happening; live in Lumiose city," her mother immediately announced the instant Serena stepped through the door. Serena simply nodded and took her designated seat on the couch opposite her mother's; ignoring the giant ten foot Arceus in the room as best she could and determinedly avoiding eye contact with the great equine god in an effort not to draw attention to her. Suddenly Arceus didn't seem quite as impressive as Serena's eyes were drawn to the TV screen and the reporter's face faded in the background as a cataclysmic battle was being broadcast to everyone in all of Kalos. A massive bipedal draconian Pokémon even bigger than Arceus and with lustrous golden orbs on its shoulders was busy exchanging blows with what had to be the biggest Garchomp Serena had ever seen. She hissed the instant she recognized Omninoir even in that form, understanding of his parting words dawning on her as he engaged the titanic behemoth across from him, in a massive dome of light in the sky above the entire city.

The dragon he faced was easily four times larger than him, yet the size difference did little to sway the battle either way, but luckily the other dragon, the one she assumed was a good guy and trying to stop Omninoir... wasn't facing him alone. There was a humanoid figure jumping about and basically teleporting from spot to spot at instantaneous speeds, colliding with Omninoir continuously and faster than the eye could see. Luckily for Lumiose the dome seemed to contain the worst of the damage, but Serena could feel the shock waves even through the camera recording the scene. She couldn't make out the humanoid figure, but they were doing stuff no ordinary person could ever do, firing off blasts of pure energy, concentrating his fists into some kind of infinite mass punch and moving at impossible speeds, much like... Serena herself had done only moments ago. Horrified by this sudden realization, Serena remembered Arceus saying something about there being three champions of the Omega Omnisphere or whatever she called it, which meant that maybe Serena wasn't in this completely alone. That alone was enough to give her hope that maybe her situation wasn't as unknown and unprecedented as she first thought; maybe there was someone out there who was able to relate to the crazy, messed up reality she found herself thrust into against her will.

' _It can't be! Is it possible that the person fighting Omninoir in that dome is ASH?! Arceus, please tell me that I'm right about this_!' Serena gasped in a mix of absolute euphoria and astonishment. Of all the people in the world who could've been thrust into this same crazy situation that she was, of course it would be Ash Ketchum; this was beyond anything she ever imagined or could've hoped for. He was always the smartest and wisest person she ever knew, and as her closest friend he was right there with her; the same situation, stricken with the same dilemmas, the same grand destiny, the same everything! If there was anyone in the entire world who could be considered a true champion of totality it was him, he was always destined to touch the stars in her opinion and giving his startling display of abilities in this grudge match between him and the Anti-God, she knew he could do so both literally and figuratively.

She couldn't believe Ash was in Kalos, now of all times just when Serena had been thrust into this mind blowing phenomena. Sure there had been end of the world situations before, especially in the last few years, but somehow seeing the person she now knew to be Ash fighting boldly against what was perhaps the most terrifying legendary entity she ever could've imagined, she knew that somehow they would find a way to get through this infinite crisis together. It had to be Ash; it just had to be; because if anyone was smart enough to make sense of this crazy omni-shit it was him. It also didn't make sense for it not to be him because Omninoir had basically told her to tune into the Lumiose news channel if she wanted to find out how he was faring compared to her. This was the only explanation that fit all the variables, Ash Ketchum was in Kalos. Ash Ketchum was in Kalos.

' _Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, it really is HIM! I can't fucking believe it! Oh I could die right about now and never be ill content again. This entire nightmare just got infinitely brighter,_ ' Serena squealed inwardly, squirming and fidgeting in her seat as she became immeasurably over stimulated by excitement and ecstasy. She was quick to calm herself down however when her body started vibrating at super fast speeds and was giving off a faint, ionized glow of deep violet. Fortunately her mother was too engrossed in the television to notice, but Arceus was another story.

' _Serena calm down, I know you're excited but your thoughts are so loud that I can't block them out. And they're giving me a headache. To answer your earlier question yes, Ash Ketchum is indeed one of the chosen champions my father selected, a future Pokémon master of the Omega Omnisphere_ ,' Arceus informed her, and Serena almost lost her fucking shit right then and there, but managed to restrain herself just in time. She had a pretty good idea of what the Omega Omnisphere was by this point but wasn't too inclined to bring it up. Obviously it was some kind of massive, super reality, perhaps even the largest one of all. If that was true then she, Ash, and this mysterious third champion would be champions on a scale that superseded even Ash's father whom many believed was the most powerful trainer in all of history. Was Pokémon master a relative term, or did she and Ash just literally stand at the summit of the endless hierarchy of aspiring Pokémon masters throughout the Omega Omnisphere? Was it even possible to become number one at _anything_ on that scale? Obviously Arceus's father seemed to think so, but alas this wasn't the time for such idle thoughts.

Forcing herself outside of her annoyingly brilliant head, Serena's attention was suddenly fixated on Ash's lithe form firing what appeared to be some kind of sticky adhesive from his outstretched hands, fully expecting Omninoir to dodge or somehow counter it. She was incredibly surprised however, when the possessed Garchomp failed to do anything at all and was quickly ensnared by the webbing; which then proceeded to shock the reverse deity to the point where Serena had to look away from the TV a moment lest her eyes end up burned out of her skull. She watched in speechlessness and fascination as Omninoir seemingly abandoned his current host, which Serena suddenly realized was Sycamore's Garchomp; the pain from the electrifying webbing threatening to continuously damage Garchomp but before it could do so the massive draconian Pokémon fighting by Ash's side fired off a series of rotating orbs of light that cut a swath through the universe itself like a table saw eating through a piece of plywood. The moment the orbs made contact with them the webbing feel apart and scattered into the four winds; the battle was ended for the time being and Garchomp and Ash and all of Lumiose city was saved, maybe even the entire world.

"He did it," Serena muttered under her breath, and Arceus nodded imperceptibly from across the room, though she couldn't help but feel on edge. This victory seemed too simple and both Serena and Arceus knew that this was far from over; Omninoir would be back sooner rather than later but at least for now he seemed to have vanished. His parting words to Ash and all of Lumiose city worried Serena greatly, something about a reckoning and a vow to kill Ash, but right now she was just too happy and to proud of her closest childhood friend to care about that right now. For the first time since the battle started the cameras got a clear shot of the human combatant, and even though Serena knew it was him seeing him again as clear as day made her breath hitch and catch in her throat.

He still looked largely the same, the same impossibly golden and intelligent eyes, same z shaped marks on his cheeks, seem demeanor and happy-go-lucky and perpetual smile on his face, even as he sighed in obvious relief he was still smiling and still able to retain his positive and charming outlook on life. One thing that had changed however; was how much he had grown up and how much he had... filled out in all the right places. He had a glow about him that seemed to exude an inhuman level of health and indefatigable energy, and he was easily the best looking man she'd ever laid eyes on. A blush suddenly graced her own cheeks as she realized that Ash wasn't just that dorky, cute little camper boy with a heart of gold anymore. No he was a man, a highly attractive, intelligent, and impossibly powerful man with apparent godlike abilities and some omnipotent legendary entity that resembled the statues of Palkia she'd seen in books that were depicted all around Sinnoh, though its coloration was different of course. ' _Primal reversion, Palkia and Dialga are similar to Groudon and Kyogre in their ability to revert back to a primordial state and become even more powerful than their present day guises. A lot of the really powerful legendary Pokémon were even more powerful still in prehistoric times Serena, the creation trio were the original users and creators of both Primal reversion and mega evolution energy. Mega Giratina, Primal Palkia, and Primal Dialga all have the astounding and omnipotent ability to bend the Omega Omnisphere's reality like their own personal plaything, a power that drives them to wild, bestial instincts and which they sealed in their lustrous and adamant orbs in an effort to limit themselves to a non omnipotent existence_ ,' Arceus explained to Serena lengthily.

' _Strangely enough that's not the most surprising thing I heard today. So why the limitations I wonder,_ ' Serena couldn't help but wonder now that Ash seemed to have won, even as another massive Pokémon with wings entered the dome and somebody jumped off its back, she didn't feel an overwhelming sense of danger from the creature like she did whenever Omninoir hit the scene and was learning that her newfound instincts were pretty spot on. ' _Members of the Omega Omnisphere's Omnipotence Nexus have always been fascinated by the concept of living life with limitations in place. Races like human beings continually amaze and astonish us with their ability to accomplish wonders even with such an impotent and unimpressive level of power at their beck and call. Some of us even opted to try an emulate their example a little bit including Palkia and Dialga and even Giratina, who stopped creating mega evolution energy within herself to do the same._

 _Of course many of us cheat and don't really stick to our limitations, but some of us do, including certain members of the Omnidonae pantheon who are the prime aspects of the Omnipotence Nexus, the first omnipotent beings ever to exist in the Omega Omnisphere. In fact Serena, everything in the Omega Omnisphere was born from the same source, and that source belongs to the Omnidonae pantheon specifically among all members of our Supreme Nexus,_ ' Arceus replied, and Serena was baffled. If the Omega Omnisphere was even half as large as she believed it to be then it was truly incredible that something so vast could actually even have a singular source. This Omnidonae pantheon could've been the ones who determined exactly what it meant to be omnipotent, and if that was true then maybe traveling back to the source of Omega Omnisphere was a possible future endeavor for her one day. Nothing about this made any sort of sense still, but she could at least understand that the supped up creation trio were very, very powerful. If everything truly was born of the same almighty source, then didn't that mean everything was interconnected via some omnipresent wavelength? That was a truly fascinating concept to think about.

Serena's attention was dragged from her reverie when an even deeper sense of foreboding than even Omninoir elicited from her impacted her entire being with the force and suddenness of a planet wide flood. Something was terribly wrong, and as she returned her focus to the screen she noticed that another primal reverted dragon Pokémon god had hit the scene and had fired a rainbow colored beam of light point blank at the dome, instantly dispersing it and causing Ash and everyone else inside to immediately start to plummet. For a split second, Serena wasn't too worried due to knowing about Ash's powers not to mention those of his Primal Palkia; but the other dragon smashed into Palkia before it could move to catch Ash and the other human falling with him, and something died within her as her million mile an hour mind immediately grasped the severity of the situation.

Ash was still falling and he wasn't doing anything to halt his descent towards the pavement below; which could only mean one thing. ' _THIS CAN'T BE! ASH NO,_ ' Serena's top of the lungs shriek immediately died in her throat before she could say it aloud and her throat closed up in more terror than she had ever felt in her entire life. Her mind and heart were crushed, Ash's descent reaching terminal velocity and dispelling any further doubts she had from her mind. In the infinitesimal amount of time following that other dragon's attack on Palkia's protective dome, somehow it had stolen all of Ash's powers and left him powerless to defend himself or slow his descent. This couldn't be real, but even her absolute worst nightmares could never concoct something this horrific, this absurd, this tragedy worse than her own death or the death of anyone else she was close to. As he neared the damning pavement below Serena could only fall to her knees and sob uncontrollably; Arceus and Grace equally as perplexed and none of them even noticing what happened next, too terrified to even watch.

XXXXX

Meyer's Blaziken made his way towards the chaotic scene taking place at Prism tower, moving at the speed of light in an effort to try and stop their deadly descent before the possessed Primal Dialga could take notice. Preoccupied with Primal Palkia who was attempting to commune with him in some form of ancient, primordial dialect, Dialga didn't give indication of stopping anytime soon. Both he and Palkia smashed through the base of Lumiose tower and hit the floor with enough force to smash through every window and for a wave of pure force to resonate through the entire city and beyond, smashing through buildings and catapulting cars and crushing people with sheer blunt force trauma. It was absolute hell on earth as Blaziken fought against the invisible force of the shock wave, but it was like wading through maple syrup and for all of his impressive level infinity abilities, this was a power beyond even him. He was a supreme paragon of his species, but even almighty examples of the Blaziken species were not omnipotent gods like the two warring entities before him were.

As he tried to redouble his efforts, and Ash and the others continued to slowly descend in suspended space relative to the fire bird; Blaziken was quite unprepared for when someone completely new and unexpected hit the scene. A strange, blonde haired girl was succeeding where he was failing, passing right through the impermeable shock wave like it was nothing; moving so fast that even Blaziken had trouble following her movements. Turning around as though she sensed the Pokémon's presence, Blaziken was greeted with a pair of twinkling blue eyes as infinitely intense as the light of his most powerful fire type attacks, one of which quickly winked mischievously at him before she turned back around, but not before he was able to make out her features which were quite attractive for a human's.

She wore a ball cap with a master ball insignia on it, her honey colored hair in a straight pony tail and protruding straight down and bobbing lightly along the middle. Her face was absolutely flawless and she gave off an ethereal glow and boundless allure that would no doubt have every male human in totality falling to their knees in complete subservience towards her if she felt so inclined. Her choice in clothing was provocative and teasing, slightly distasteful in Blaziken's opinion but also surprisingly fashionable. She wore white jean shorts and a grey belly shirt with what almost appeared to be an infinity symbol embroidered on the chest. The strange thing was it wasn't like the golden infinity symbol Ash himself prized, this one was mottled and checkered in tiny, kaleidoscopic cubes of every color Blaziken had ever seen and then some. It was an absolute eyesore in his opinion but at the same time something about it seemed more potent and more significant than Ash's. It felt foreign, alien to the Pokémon world they inhabited. Perhaps this was another of those Omega Omnisphere Pokémon champions, from another universe or something. Or maybe Blaziken was just reading into it too much. Either way, this girl was looking like she was trying to help, and for that reason Blaziken was thankful because something was still halting his efforts to intervene even despite the fact that the shock wave had dissipated.

The mysterious girl moved through whatever halting mechanism rooted Blaziken in place with apparent and ridiculous ease. As her speed increased to transfinite levels and she phased outside of Blaziken's ability to see her moving, Ash and the others suddenly materialized on the ground completely safe and unharmed. At the same time whatever was halting Blaziken and possessing Dialga simply seemed to vanish as he found he could move again, and move he did to check on the children his trainer Meyer asked him to watch out for. As Dialga and Palkia both emerged from the wreckage and appeared back to normal, Blaziken confirmed that everyone was okay while looking to and fro for any sign of the mysterious woman who had chased away whatever wraith had taken possession of Primal Dialga, a feat he wasn't sure even Omninoir could accomplish so easily.

He caught a brief glimpse of a black blur flying up towards the sky and disappearing above the atmosphere at near invariant speeds, while the girl and mysterious almighty guardian angel was nowhere to be found. Ash, Lexie, Bonnie, Clement, and Lexie's Primal Yveltal were all okay, and Yveltal's powers and godhood were somehow restored to. Nothing about this situation made any kind of sense to Blaziken's simple mindset and set of beliefs but apparently this mysterious girl had managed to bypass whatever nameless entity had been the cause of Omninoir's omnicidal glitches and everything else that happened today, maybe even the singularity itself.

"Ugh what happened?" Blaziken heard Lexie moan as she came to, followed immediately by Ash, then Bonnie, and lastly Clemont. "I don't know, I thought for sure we were going to die," Ash admitted with absolute horror. "But Ash, I thought you had psychic powers and everything, couldn't you have stopped this from happening?" Clemont queried as the crowd watching the battle from Centrico plaza all fell silent upon witnessing the miraculous survival of the children who saved all of Kalos. "Not anymore," Ash stated cryptically, ignoring the crowds entirely as Blaziken and everyone else close enough to hear him shuddered involuntarily.

"How is that even possible?!" Lexie whispered, horror struck and amber eyes wide as Blaziken stood protectively in front of them while listening in to their conversation. "I honestly don't know Lex, I thought Omninoir was the absolute pinnacle of all we would have to face but _this_... this is beyond me or anything I could ever have imagined," Ash whispered to the four of them, taking note of Blaziken's protective presence shielding them from the mob as the Hoenn starter fended off reporters who attempted to interview the living, breathing miracles before them.

"Why do I get the feeling that 'beyond your imagination' is something completely absurd?" Clemont voiced intelligently. Bonnie suddenly felt very afraid as well, unable to even properly comprehend there being something even worse than Omninoir, but Ash seemed convinced that something else was out there. "And to think, earlier today my biggest concern my evading Bonnie's efforts to set me up with some random girl I didn't even know," Clemont added as an afterthought as Ash pondered everything they'd been through today. Clearly this Blaziken standing between them and the mob of people had something to do with their miraculous save, but something foul was in the air and Ash had a sinking feeling it had something to do with the singularity. Such a massive distortion in the Omega Omnisphere itself, God only knew what lied on that thing's inner event horizon. Whatever it was, it was perhaps a member of the Omnipotence Nexus more dangerous than Omninoir could ever be. Perhaps Zeneptron himself had somehow returned from his purging from the Omega Omnisphere, and if that was true then they were all in over their heads. For the first time since gaining his powers, Ash 1 Million seriously considered calling on some extra-dimensional help, because whatever this was, it was absolutely beyond any of the champions the 1 millionth Pokémon universe alone possessed.

XXXXX

Hundreds of miles away, in the abandoned hall of origin in the 1 millionth universe's Sinnoh Region, the same girl who saved Ash and the others from before was watching, waiting for any sign of the unmistakable entity that had come through that all-powerful singularity. When none appeared and when it seemed to coast was clear, she finally heaved a sigh of great relief.

' _Arceus 9 by Infinity, mine and Ash's worst fears have been realized. Somehow when Omninoir's collision with my 1 millionth counterpart ruptured the Omni-Dimensional continuum, he opened a doorway into totality itself and allowed for someone even worse to come through, someone I hoped would never again wreak terror upon the Ultra-Verse. Ash is going to want to know about this, because as insane as this turn of events seems, he's back. Omninoir Infinity has returned and with him, his formerly forgotten UV presence. All of Ash's hard work and endless struggle against this monster... it was all for naught. Now we've got no choice but to expand our operations on an UV scale once more. So much for beings ghosts to the Omega Omnisphere; our cloak of anonymity is shot, and Ash's retirement plan may end up going down the drain if I can't contain this problem on my own,_ ' Serena's doppelganger omnipathically projected, awaiting a response and not even batting an eye when one of the Omega Omnisphere's most renowned incarnations of Arceus spoke inside her head, his deep, baritone voice as familiar to her as the back of her hand.

' _This is definitely not good, in fact it is the very definition of not good I'd say. If we can't contain Omninoir Infinity ourselves then perhaps it would be best to start gathering allies like we did in the previous Omega Omnisphere. Serena 9 by Infinity, there is little time for us to act and we must make haste for the nine by 6 universe. Something tells we we're going to need both 9 by 6's and 1 million's help before the year is up. Hell if Rey is willing we might even be able to convince him of the importance of detaining Omninoir Infinity for as long as possible._ " Arceus informed her as though it weren't already obvious. Serena huffed in exasperation, ' _Rey has his own problems and his own universe and deity of darkness to deal with. Ash 1 Million and Ash 9 by 6 however, we may be able to work with them until Rey is reacquainted with the UV. For now at least, it looks like we're on our own_.'


	6. Chapter Five: Fathomless Forces, Terrible Truths, and Joyous Reunions: Final Part

_Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, nor do I make any profits from this whatsoever._

_Warnings: Little of consequence though there will be some Amourshipping at long last since this is the chapter where they finally reunite. Might be some emotional scenes here and there, but nothing too substantial in this chapter; nevertheless, this shit is not recommended to readers under the age of 18 or anyone who doesn't have a basic understanding of astrophysics and the like._

_This chapter is dedicated to my ever-helpful buddy Dimension Distorter; the story itself was requested by ShadowLord1295 so I'll dedicate it to him. I know you're on a Naruto kick lately mate but honestly, I hope you enjoy where I've taken this story and trust me mate it is going to go places, I never initially imagined for it before._

Chapter Five: Fathomless Forces, Terrible Truths, and Joyous Reunions: Final Part

Serena didn't know how long she sat there in stunned silence and uncomprehending disbelief as she watched her best friend in all the world, somehow survive a several thousand feet plummet towards the ground… _without powers_. During these beyond agonizing moments of her life Serena's entire life had flashed before her eyes, almost as though she were right there by his side as they fell to their deaths. Something died inside of her while watching that happen she doubted she could survive having to watch that sort of thing and be helpless ever again.

It had been by far, the worst experience of her entire life, watching her friend fall at terminal velocity towards the pavement. For the first time since this whole thing she was ready to admit to herself that she loved him. Somehow the thought of losing him had been enough to let her know she could no longer live without him. Now that she confirmed that he was alive and that she was undeniably in love with him; all she could do was stare at the TV screen and heave a mighty sigh of relief. Even as her mother and Arceus herself stared at the screen in shock, Serena only had one question on her mind. ' _Who in the hell is that girl beside him?_ ' She thought possessively.

It was kinda funny how quickly her priorities shifted now that the day was saved and the world intact. She ignored the paparazzi trying in vain to get past their self appointed bodyguard Blaziken, and the cameras zooming in on the very obviously shaken but still miraculously living entourage of Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, the older boy she didn't know, and the girl who was staring at Ash, _her_ Ash, like he was the best thing on the planet. Serena didn't think herself vain but she was quite aware of the fact that she was a good looking girl, yet this other girl was beautiful to and it left her wondering how many gorgeous women Ash had been with throughout the years. Serena couldn't help feeling threatened, and she wondered to herself if she ever really stood a chance with him. She'd only just come to terms with her true feelings for Ash and now this stranger comes along after everything she and Ash had been through together and while apart; how the fuck was that fair in any way?!

It wasn't fair, not at all. This girl was undeniably gorgeous and seemed to want Ash almost as badly as Serena herself did. The honey blonde girl was surprised by how territorial she was suddenly feeling of Ash; unable to imagine her life without him now and if she was being completely honest with herself, she'd been unable to imagine it for a very long time now. She wanted to either relish the fact that Ash was alright, or lash out at him through the TV screen for scaring her so fucking badly; like the reckless, stupid, heroic, and wonderful prat that he was. But she couldn't even release her pent up emotional frustration yet, because now she had to deal with the possibility that Ash was already with somebody. Serena briefly wondered how long they had been together, something about their dynamic made it seem like there was an attraction; though Ash seemed hesitant to act on it in public whereas the girl was all for it but willing to keep herself in check for the Pallet Town prodigy's sake. Serena had always been extremely good at reading people, even before her god powers started kicking in full swing; now though she was bordering on being able to read people psychically.

She took a moment to seriously question why Ash and his friends weren't dead yet, not that she was complaining but the fact they were alive should not have been possible. His Primal Palkia had been otherwise occupied with the possessed Dialga and the girl's giant flying type Pokémon had been rendered all but powerless before whatever it was that saved them restored its full abilities. Serena felt like she should've known the giant four winged white behemoth from somewhere; yet before she could even spare it anymore thought the giant Arceus in the room answered her unasked question.

' _It's the legendary Pokémon of destruction Yveltal in its primal state of being, or Primal Reversion as you humans call it. Same general idea as the supped up creation trio Serena. It is destructive omnipotence embodied though unlike Omninoir, Primal Yveltal is not an omnimalevolent Anti-God... more like a benevolent capital-G God of destruction. Although him being an Anti-God can sometimes happen I reckon, depending upon the universe. I'm still at a loss to explain how that girl was able to acquire one though, let alone a shiny one. Something is off about this whole situation and I can't help but wonder what her role in all this is_.' Arceus telepathically broadcasted her thoughts to Serena as she nodded somewhat bitterly in accord. She was almost hoping with a savage pleasure that this girl was secretly evil and Ash would turn her away as soon as he found out, but she exhaled deeply and forced these bad thoughts from her head in an effort to calm her jealous loving heart.

"Mom, is this going to delay my getting a Pokémon for a while? If it does that's okay but I… I mean, I just really want to see him in person." Serena admitted out loud, a full body blush gracing her as Grace smiled sadly at her. "You never stopped loving him did you?" Grace wondered, already knowing the answer as Serena nodded hesitantly. "Not even for a moment, though I've only just recently realized how important he still is to me even after all this time. I've tried to deny my true feelings for so many years but after today, after almost losing him well mom I… love him. I'm truly, deeply, madly in love with him. I can't stand it. I love him so much it drives me insane. I think I've loved him from the moment I met him. I just didn't understand what my feelings were at the time because I was so young." Serena emotionally declared her undying love for the boy at long last, and Arceus did it ever feel magical saying it. Something inside her just felt so whole and complete by saying it; she didn't understand why or how but admitting it out loud for the first time, even if it was to her mother… took a huge weight of her shoulder, a weight she never even knew was there.

Grace nodded mutely before speaking in a voice so low Serena almost couldn't hear her. "Then go to him, who cares if you haven't gotten your Pokémon yet. Serena, as your mother I am telling you to run as fast as you can straight to Lumiose city. Don't stop, don't look back until you find him you understand me. And when you do find him, tell him exactly what you told me and don't you dare come back here until you do, do I make myself clear?!

Don't make the same mistake I did and take these feelings for granted like I did with your father. Life is precious, after what we've witnessed you and I both know that there is no guarantee in life that we'll always be around. I still can't believe Ash was able to do some of the stuff he did but obviously that giant dragon did something to him, draining whatever powers he had, or maybe the battle tired him out. I don't know what to make of the situation but I do know that you love him and that love is the strongest force in the universe.

Now go get him Serena, and just know that you are always welcome to come back here if ever you should need me." Grace promised and advised her as Serena nodded with tears in her eyes. She had never heard her mom get so passionate about anything in her entire life, not even Rhyhorn racing. For the first time she found herself wondering just how desperately her mother had loved her father, and if the reason she poured her heart into her work was because she was trying to forget the pain Richard Yvonne's disappearance caused her on a daily basis.

Taking one last look around the house, Serena got up to get ready and was surprised to find her mother sitting with a fully packed pink tote bag with all the essentials packed. Included was her daughter's pajamas, an extra set of clothes, all of her necessary accessories including a fully stocked fashion kit with hair products, her travel guide, her wallet with her golden trainer card which she had held onto for years but never used and her Pokedollar bank card which her mother had set up for her in the form of her very own bank account.

"I figured I'd help pack the essentials as a send-off." Grace admitted somewhat sheepishly as Serena realized she had completely forgotten to pack properly. Thanking her mother profusely, Serena took the bag from her mother and realized this was it. Ash was waiting for her in Lumiose and this was the closest she had been to him in a decade. She was terrified, ecstatic, nervous, elated, and a lot of other emotions all at once. Taking one last look around her home and trying to commit it to memory, Serena threw her arms around her mother in a quick hug as Arceus watched the fond exchange with a small smile and got ready to spring a little surprise on the girl the moment she was out the door.

"Bye mom." Serena sniffed, her voice muffled as she cried into her mom's shoulder, her tears of joy and happiness. "Bye Serena, just remember that it's a dangerous world out there so be careful alright. I know I can't stop you from doing what you need to do, but I'm still going to miss you terribly. Now go find that boy and tell him how much you care, and let him know that if he hurts you he'll have me to answer to." Grace declared in a surprisingly overprotective tone, acting more a mother to Serena than she had done in years. Serena nodded and giggled somewhat as she imagined her mother chasing after Ash with a baseball bat or some equally blunt object.

"I will, I promise. I'll phone you when I get there." Serena promised as she ran straight for the door, not even slowing down as it opened before she got there and collided with someone rather solid, barreling them over. "Ouch, Jeez Serena I know you're excited but do try to watch where you're going." She heard Calem say as she helped him stand up in the doorway. "Sorry Calem; I'm just in a real hurry right now to get to Lumiose city." Serena informed him as another voice called out from behind Calem.

"Well then we better hurry up and get going then; I'm so excited about this I could scream. We're finally going on our Pokémon journeys." Shauna's voice echoed loudly from somewhere in Serena's front yard. "Wait, you guys don't have to come with me. I've kinda got some personal stuff to take care of." Serena admitted as Calem and Shauna both nodded. "We know, Ash Ketchum is in Lumiose city right now and we're going to take you to him. Consider us your own personal escorts." Shauna giggled lightheartedly as Calem sighed slightly and Serena giggled at her bubbly friend's boisterous display as Rhyhorn popped his head out of his house to see what the commotion was all about.

Serena rolled her eyes, albeit in a good natured way. She really didn't know what she did to deserve such incredible friends, She just wished she could tell them about what happened in Vaniville town not even half an hour ago. Even her mother didn't retain any memories of the incident, though Serena wondered if anybody in town was experiencing some form of déjà vu watching Ash heroically take on the God of all evil and negative energy and live to tell the tale. Her inner Goddess must've done one helluva good job with the memory wipe though, because nobody seemed any the wiser about what happened. As Serena stepped outside to lovingly address her friends and Arceus floated invisibly by her side while phasing through the walls of her house, the world warped all around the three of them and Serena was taken by surprise when she and her friends were instantly teleported to Lumiose city before she could even form a sentence.

The world displaced all around the three of them as they appeared at the blown off doorway to what Serena realized was Sycamore's lab, wondering how in the hell she had gotten here as she rounded on Arceus who was wearing a smirk and not looking anywhere near as transparent. Calem and Shauna didn't even look like they realize what had happened at first, but they both caught on pretty fast as they turned in perfect harmony to stare at Serena in shock. Their eyes bulged out of their sockets as they gazed upon the equine being floating beside her. Arceus was now fully visible to the three of them, and Serena realized what had happened a little bit too late. "Um, Serena, please tell me I'm not crazy and that you can see that humongous Pokémon beside you." Shauna gasped as Serena smiled sheepishly and sent a quick death glare at Arceus for surprising all of them in such a fashion.

"Shaunee, unless we're both crazy I think we're owed some explanations, especially since I know what Pokémon it is. You're an Arceus aren't you, I've seen pictures depicting you in the Pokémon books I've read. Oh man I can't believe this is happening." Calem exclaimed like an overzealous fanboy geeking out as Arceus nodded and Serena's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. ' _Greetings Shauna and Calem, yes I am Arceus, and don't worry it was I who teleported the three of you here so I can promise you both I'm not hostile. Serena here already knew of my presence here for some time now. Also to dispel any further concerns you might have, you three are the only ones who can see me or perceive me in any way, shape, or form._

 _I'm sorry if I scared you all, but I wanted to surprise you by bringing you three here and making it that much easier for Serena to catch up to Ash. First things first, you three should probably pick up your Pokémon from Sycamore while you have the chance. Who knows, I might even give you guys a glowing recommendation to the esteemed professor assuming he doesn't have a heart attack when I reveal myself to him to_.' Arceus informed them of her hastily made plan as Serena face palmed with a groaning sigh and Calem and Shauna both nodded mutely, too in shock to manage anything more coherent at this point.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you two about my dear little friend here but I was under the impression Lady Arceus was to be kept strictly secret." Serena hissed irately, sending a withering glare at the Alpha Pokémon in question as Calem recovered first... still looking beyond excited but surprisingly in control of himself. "What I don't get was why _you_ were permitted to glimpse Arceus?" He questioned astutely. Serena pondered an answer to that reasonable inquiry, but Arceus beat her to it. ' _It is better if the two of you don't know the details behind this. The more people who know, the greater the risk to those involved in these exceedingly dangerous situations involving the Anti-God Pokémon. That's the entity that wreaked havoc here, in the city. The one Ash Ketchum fought and beat, and who attacked your town as well_.' Arceus vaguely disclosed to them as Serena clenched her fists from the memories.

"But wait, if he attacked our town how come we don't remember it?" Shauna asked the very question Serena was hesitant to answer. Deciding she should just come out and be as honest as she could with them, Serena answered before Arceus could. "Look you guys, long story short the Anti-God Pokémon attacked and destroyed our town and everyone in it. I won't go into details but the town and the lives lost in it were restored, and in order to maintain the sense of peace amongst the townsfolk a memory wipe of the whole event was orchestrated and everyone forgot about it including you two. I remembered because I was in the eye of the storm, and I was the one that… monster was after." Serena fought to control her urge to break down in front of them. The memory of what happened would haunt her almost as badly as watching Ash nearly fall to his death. There had been way too many close calls today regarding Omninoir and Serena couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

"But why, I mean not to sound rude but why you?" Calem stated inquiringly. "A valid question Calem, I've been asking it myself since I woke up this morning. Because that's when everything started feeling different. I wish I could say more but trust me, you guys are better off _not_ remembering your own deaths." Serena promised them in a rather cryptic undertone as both Shauna and Calem reluctantly agreed. "We trust you Serena, we always have and if you're that traumatized by whatever happened to us then we'll leave it alone for now. I just hope you'll be able to find the strength to tell us one day, but for now, let's not dwell on the negative. I mean, hell you guys, we're here to get our first Pokémon and that's a _huge milestone,_ not to mention we got to meet Arceus. How many people get to say they did all that in one day?! I am shaking with excitement, so no more talk of this for now alright." Calem declared with exuberant passion, and just like that the conversation was ended as Arceus remained selectively incognito and the three friends walked inside the ruined halls of Sycamore's lab.

' _So much destruction, so much pain, suffering and loss. Who knows what else Omninoir is capable of._ ' Serena thought despairingly as Arceus nodded inaudibly in accord, evidently following her train of thoughts as Serena's voice rang out to Professor Sycamore. "Hello Professor, are you here?" she called out, momentarily concerned that he may have gotten hurt before she heard him respond and felt relief flood her heart when he appeared at the top of the staircase unharmed.

"Oh my God, what on earth are you three doing here?! Now is really not the best time, I've got to get to Ash quickly. He needs to know about Lexie, she's not who she says she is." Sycamore rambled frantically, leaving Serena and her friends to wonder what he meant as he bounded down the stairs rather in a hurry. His assistant Sophie was at his heels as she too appeared extremely shaken by the startling events that took place here.

Taking the initiative as Shauna and Calem both looked alarmed at the Professor's current state. Serena spoke up loud and clear to get the professor's undivided attention. "Um Professor, I know now's probably not the best time but I was wondering if you still had some Pokémon left for us to choose from. If not we can wait, and I'll completely understand if you need a moment to sort yourself out. Nobody would blame you for being out of sorts after what just happened here. I just saw the news and what happened, is Garchomp okay?" Serena whispered concernedly, not wanting to dwell on what the professor said about Lexie as Sycamore inhaled deeply.

"Yes she is, Ash teleported her back to my lab at some point during the battle. We checked her over and she appears to be healthy, though she's traumatized enough by what she was forced to do that it will haunt her for years to come. I haven't seen the news yet, but I'm heading out right now to tell Ash the truth. His new lady friend is not a friend to us at all. You three are very welcome to come with me, as long as you stay close and don't wander off. Once we get that admin of Team Flare in custody, I'll see what I can do for you all.

I've already had a perfect Protean Froakie set aside for Calem, and of course Shauna gets a competitively perfect Chespin with Bullet Proof, and you Serena... I assume you still want that special Fennekin. She has absolutely refused to leave with any of the trainers we've offered her to, so ultimately, we've stopped trying. As I'm sure you remember, she has the ability Magician and has the maximum potential of her species. She'll be very happy to see you once we get back, but for right now I need to make sure Ash and the others are okay. That remarkable young man fought against Omninoir tooth and nail in order to free my beloved Pokémon and my city. So I need to make sure he's alright and that I can properly thank him." Sycamore said in a lengthy monologue. Serena and the others nodded just as Arceus decided to hold off on materializing before the obviously rattled professor. She could sense he was close to the breaking point, and she was kind of excited by the prospect of seeing Ash again, which would be delayed if she revealed herself to the Professor at this stage. Serena furrowed her eyebrows, realizing that Lexie was the girl she had seen on television with Ash, and she wondered who she was not for the first time, as her mind whirled and spun with out of control thoughts and emotions.

"We were just heading off to find Ash ourselves professor, so this is perfect timing all around." Calem spoke up as Shauna smiled in agreement and Serena's heart beat a mile a minute and warmth pervaded her entire being as Sycamore clapped jovially once or twice and ushered them out the door. Serena could feel Vivillon fluttering within her stomach in a never-ending eternal dance, and she felt both nervous and giddy at the same time. She didn't care what stood in her way or who. Because one way or another she'd find Ash and then… she'd make him hers.

She finally was ready to embrace the idea of loving the most amazing person she'd ever known, and she'd be damned if she let anyone stand in her way at this point... especially if her competition was not a friend of theirs like Sycamore seemed to be so certain of, and like she had just personally fantasized about only moments before. How ironic was that she wondered. She didn't know what happened or what the Professor had seen to make him believe that Lexie or whoever she was, was some kind of traitor or double-crosser, but she didn't let that stop her from feeling ecstatic about the prospect of seeing her best friend again. Everything else was merely trivialities, Ash Ketchum was her number one and _only_ priority at this point. Trekking across the ruins of Lumiose city towards Centrico Plaza, Serena sensed that whatever happened later today when she found him would somehow make all the hell she and Ash had gone through respectively, totally worth it.

XXXXX

If this past year of infinite power had taught Ash anything it's that anything could and probably does exist… but this was beyond _anything he_ could've anticipated. Being rendered powerless before falling to his untimely death would've been bad enough, but now, he was at a loss to explain how they were all still alive. Not knowing something was one of Ash Ketchum 1 Million's biggest pet peeves, and right now he was completely clueless on what exactly was going on.

Whoever or whatever saved them had also restored Lexie's Yveltal's godhood and even chased away whatever being managed to possess his Dialga in his primal form, yet they also failed to restore Ash's own abilities as well. Maybe they knew he had Arceus on his team and that they didn't need to reconnect him with the Omnipotence Nexus, or maybe they were trying to send him a not so hidden message saying he didn't deserve his powers if he almost let his friends die in his moment of carelessness. And if that was the case he would have words for the bastard because he did the best he could, there was nothing more he could've done in his opinion so he wasn't going to waste time punishing himself or allowing anyone else to. Whatever their reasons for failing to see to the restoration of his powers, he decided to hold off on asking Arceus to re-endow him with his abilities. Because frankly, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to ache or to feel proper hunger... to be perfectly human and normal. He kind of missed it, and maybe this was some golden opportunity for him to rediscover life on the other side of omnipotence, to have clear, genuine limits once more to what he could do with his power alone, to rely on his Pokémon for everything supernatural or beyond the human ability to achieve.

He was relieved to know that his knowledge base had remained untouched and that his intelligence wasn't nullified, but those were about the only beyond human traits he retained at the moment and he was powerless to update his knowledge base again through any means; except for the human means of research and countless hours of study of course. Several things still didn't add up about Omninoir's omnicidal glitches, or the thing that had somehow managed to possess his Primal Dialga so easily, but none of that mattered right now. Ash was just so relieved that everyone was okay. So for the time being, he held off on investigating these matters and tuned into everything going on around him once again, already realizing how different everything felt when his perceptive abilities and his senses weren't enhanced to an Omega Omnisphere encompassing scale.

Primal Dialga and Palkia both emerged from the wreckage of Prism tower completely unharmed and Dialga looked like he didn't have a clue about what happened. Ash was relieved beyond measure that whatever had possessed his Totality manipulating entity was now gone for the moment, but still, it was extremely worrisome. Whoever or whatever had rendered Ash powerless was obviously masterfully skillful at using any and all applications of their omnipotent abilities. Using the momentary distraction Dialga's attack on Palkia's infinity dome caused Ash to quickly dismantle every single one of his abilities faster than he thought possible. Whoever it was also wasn't afraid to tap into and utilize their full powers even at the risk of invoking the omnipotence paradox, which was extremely troubling to the Pallet Town champion because even Omninoir was not bold or daring enough to do that. Whoever orchestrated this was extremely confident in their abilities and had mastered every application of their omnipotence to an art form. Loathe though he was to admit it Ash was impressed, he'd always grudgingly respected competency in an enemy, even if that made them all the more dangerous.

Quickly assessing the situation at hand and redirecting his focus from his two primal Creation Trio members, Ash took in the scared but determined faces of his friends. His eyes wandered from Clemont to Bonnie, feeling pride for them burn inside him as his gaze shifted over to his lifelong friend and partner Brock; who nodded and grinned proudly at him in turn. Finally his eyes rested on Amber, her golden-amber eyes mirroring his own and a look of lust in hers; her smile relieved and a myriad of other emotions as he realized she was as proud of him as he was all of them. He wanted to apologize profusely for failing to protect all of them when they needed it most, but the fact that they were so understanding of his alleged powerlessness meant more to him than he could ever say.

But even despite everything, despite how close he'd grown to Amber in the several hours they'd hung out, despite how wonderfully fantastic his other friends were and how handy they were in a crisis, Ash still missed Serena terribly and wished she could be here with him. Like he always did, he just never felt whole or complete without her around, but hopefully she had been able to see everything he and his fantastic Kalos entourage accomplished on the television back in her hometown. She may not have been part of the action here, but she was always with Ash in spirit. Every Arceus damned day he'd been on his journey he had kept her memory alive, dedicating his every major battle to her... now he was closer to her than he had been in years and something about it still unnerved him a little.

He was drawn out of his thoughtful musing by the voices of the paparazzi as Blaziken continued to shield them and Ash sighed while massaging his temples. "Whew, it's been awhile since I've had a tension headache." Ash muttered under his breath, though amazingly enough Amber still heard him as she smirked and snickered from beside him. "Welcome to the life of a human being." She murmured at him teasingly, the pair of them equally aware they'd have some explaining to do about Amber's unique situation and the auburn-haired beauty remembering what she had been meaning to tell Ash.

"Um Ash, there's something you should probably know about our carefully laid plan." Amber started, while Ash nodded understandingly with a knowing smile. "You accidentally spilled the beans to Omninoir. I know, and I also know that Lysandre's showing up to confront him right when he did was not luck or coincidence Amber." he told her. Amber's eyebrow quirked, that being the only indicator that she was surprised by Ash's statement as the small town wunderkind elaborated. "Lysandre wasn't the only one keeping an eye on you. I may have... used my omnipathy and omni-empathy powers to maintain vigil over you while you were fighting Omninoir. Not enough to read your innermost thoughts, but enough to know what you said out loud. And it's alright Amber, you are of course most welcome to come with us once I explain everything to my companions." Ash explained to her, the both of them aware of everyone else listening in as the media news people continued trying to push for a quote from the heroes of the day. Ash was instantly relieved when the Kalosian Queen of Media herself decided to grace them all with her substantial presence.

"Well young man, I daresay you and your friends have just saved this entire city and maybe a whole lot of other lives. If I could get a comment from you I'd really appreciate it." Alexa smiled knowingly, winking at them as Ash's focus was dragged from his conversation with Amber and he grinned euphorically at the pretty reporter. "Well all I can say is that I wasn't alone in my endeavor to save the city. I had my Pokémon with me and of course I had my friends as well, despite my deep reservations about having them here in the line of fire, I couldn't keep them away even if I tried. Even Amber here, who only made her presence known to me and my entourage a few hours back... has proven herself to be an invaluable ally and asset; which is one of many reasons why I will be personally see to it that she is pardoned of any and all crimes she might be implicated in." Ash admitted with a charming smile as Alexa nodded professionally, her hand on a recording device that was held out clear in the open so that they all could see it. Amber gulped nervously at how open Ash was being with the news lady, but a reassuring gesture from Ash was all the reasoning she needed for now. She'd also heard that Alexa was really good at her job but also completely clean, she'd always make sure any facts she presented in her papers or printings were 100 percent accurate, she wasn't the type to print anything that was liable or full of biased opinions.

Unlike some other members of the press Alexa wasn't shady and didn't resort to underhanded tactics like interviewing people without their knowing or twisting his words to create unnecessary drama and spread hatred among people everywhere. As she prepared to walk around the ever diligent Blaziken and Ash decided to let her through since he had put this off long enough, a bunch of the other reporters on the scene fired off a rapid bombardment of inquiries. "Please tell us how you were able to fight alongside your Pokémon like you did?" "Are you an Aura Guardian or a Psychic or something else?" "How did you acquire such mythical and legendary Pokémon?" "Why weren't you able to stop yourself and your friends from falling?" "Care to explain how you all survived a fall when you yourself had been rendered powerless to do so?" The questions went on and on from a myriad of different reporters while a massive crowd of spectators observed the madness from afar. The entirety of Centrico Plaza was now blocked off by Police cars while the media went insane trying to inform the public on what happened.

Ash didn't comment on any of their questions and instead focused on Alexa as she looked hopefully at him. "So um Alexa, any chance we can we pick this up later where there are fewer unsolicited members of the press to cramp our style. I'll be happy to give you the details when I've had time to absorb everything that's happened and in more accommodating settings. I will also be vouching for my newest companion here since there are details of her past she won't feel comfortable discussing with just anyone. I've also got to fill Bonnie, Clemont, and Brock in on everything that's happened as well, but for right now I need to rest." Ash admitted somewhat guiltily, eternally grateful when Alexa nodded understandingly. He wanted to be able to give her everything right now, but he was feeling incredibly drained and didn't want to drag shit out. "Of course Ash, but I'm expecting an exclusive from you in return the instant you feel you are ready alright." She insisted and Ash nodded with a smile.

"That's fair, the public has a right to know what exactly happened, and I promise that I will do my absolute best to inform the people of Kalos and of the world of what happened to the best of my ability." Ash announced loudly, directing his comment to all of the news people including Alexa and letting them know in no uncertain terms that this interview was over. As some of the press persisted, Alexa took the initiative, "Alright you guys, move out and give the poor man and his friends some space." She commanded authoritatively, her reputation as a reporter ever revered throughout the city as they all reluctantly complied and moved away from Ash and co, just as none other than Officer Jenny walked over to them instead.

"Am I speaking to Ash Ketchum?" She asked once she reached them as Ash nodded and stood up straighter as Brock somehow managed to refrain from flirting with her. The blue haired cop peered speculatively at the young man standing beaded in sweat and appearing worse for wear tiredly stood to his feet as though resigned to his fate. "Yes you are Officer Jenny. I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash admitted as the no nonsense, professional blue haired officer jotted his name down in her notebook and cut straight to the chase.

"I'd imagine you must be pretty exhausted after fighting a battle of that magnitude against… whatever that thing was. I'm here to discuss some things with you young man. You see, while that dome you and your… mythical Pokémon conjured in the sky managed to contain most of the damage, the fact remains that the city is in ruins. How do you plan on addressing the very understandable concerns the people of this city have. Also, what crimes do you think this young lady over here might be implicated in at some point in the future? You left a lot of the details out and I just want to make sure I have everything I need before I hand in my police report." Jenny questioned him with what almost appeared to be concern. Even without his powers Ash could sense that Jenny was worried about him being in over his head and that she honestly felt like he had done nothing but try to save the city.

"I did everything in my power to try to minimize collateral damage and casualties, but the fact is Sycamore's Garchomp was possessed by none other than the Omega Pokémon. It's basically the malevolent counterpart to Arceus himself. I wouldn't expect most people to understand everything that happened today, but I would be more than happy to help with the cleanup and repairs… in fact I..." Ash paused, having a brilliant brainwave as he looked behind them over to Primal Dialga and Palkia standing just outside of Prism tower and looking remorseful for their devastating actions. Giving them the slightest of encouraging nods, Ash gave them the go ahead to repair the damages right away as Dialga and Palkia both became engulfed in a blinding multicolored light and the entire city warped all around them.

In a matter of seconds the damage to Prism tower and all of Lumiose city was happening in reverse. Countless pieces of glass flew upwards towards Prism tower and the nearest buildings affected, merging together into full windows once more as they flew back into their respective frames good as new. Streets and cars that were ripped apart and overturned were topsy-turvied as the massive swaths in the roads snapped back together and were filled in and the totaled cars were returned to their original spots free of any and all damages sustained.

Officer Jenny and everyone else in the vicinity stared around them in shock and awe as Dialga and Palkia did their thing, hell even Ash was impressed by their display as he felt the very fabric of the Omega Omnisphere itself convulse and tighten all around them. As the whole of Lumiose city was fully restored and people recovered from their shock there was a massive round of applause and praise, as the people of Lumiose city cheered for Ash and his Pokémon. Jenny blinked a couple of times as she examined her surroundings like she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing; but then she recovered.

"Well, you certainly made quick work of that young man, well done mister Ketchum. There is one more thing I wish to ask of you, that Omega Pokémon, does it constitute a threat to this planet?" Jenny questioned him as Ash nodded solemnly. "Yes, unfortunately he does, but rest assured I will do everything in my power to stop him. It's actually part of my job description to deal with threats of this magnitude." Ash promised her as Dialga and Palkia both roared in agreement, declaring their loyalty to their trainer and their continued involvement in his war against Omninoir. With that out of the way Jenny nodded and cracked her first smile, "Very well, I think I got what I needed. Just know that if you need anything, anything at all. The people of this city are forever in your debt Ash Ketchum. You may be the only person on this earth with the power to stand up to that thing, which means that whether or not people end up thinking you're dangerous, this world needs you. Enjoy your day young man. And you young lady, while I am concerned by what mister Ketchum said about you being implicated in some crimes, if he trusts you to do the right thing then so must I." With that, Jenny walked away leaving them to themselves as the crowd continued applauding them in the distance. Amber couldn't believe her luck, Jenny was letting her go and Alexa let her off really easily too, unfortunately, she didn't count on her luck lasting and could see the questions in everybody's eyes as she and Ash continued to address the concerns of others but not Ash's own friends.

Walking over to Blaziken who continued to stand protectively in front of them, Ash couldn't help but smile as the fire type starter locked eyes with him. "Thank you very much for helping us Blaziken. I don't know who your trainer is but could you thank him or her for me too. One more thing, did you happen to see anything while you were attempting to save us because while I don't doubt your ability to keep us from falling to our deaths, I doubt you could've restored Amber's Yveltal's Godhood am I right?" Ash asked as said legendary flying type continued to circle the top of Prism tower above them. Blaziken nodded and proceeded to explain what happened from his point of view as Ash realized with frustration that he could no longer understand Pokespeech.

"Hey Arceus, translation if you please." Ash said aloud as everybody but Brock and Amber stared at him in shock. Dialga and Palkia returned themselves to their Master Balls of their own accord without another word or action between them. Arceus's omnipathic voice sounded in all of their heads, causing everybody who wasn't accustomed to telepathy to whip their heads around in response to the deep, rich, baritone voice resounding in their minds. ' _Um Ash, you're not going to believe this and frankly, I'm still having trouble believing it myself... but Blaziken says he saw somebody with honey colored hair and cerulean eyes save you guys and then chase after whatever possessed Dialga, sound familiar_?' the Alpha Pokémon stated in obvious incredulity as Ash blanched and everyone else wondered what was so significant about those details.

"But that's impossible, Serena was in Vaniville town when we fell. You said her powers wouldn't fully self manifest except when _her_ life was in danger." Ash pointed out logically, wondering if Serena had somehow been able to enter her omnipotent God mode due to sheer desperation to change his misfortune and those of his friends. Before he could think further on the matter Arceus squashed this notion almost right away. ' _There's more, Blaziken said something about her was different from the Yvonne girl. Ash… he said her infinity symbol was infused with countless different colors instead of gold like yours, which means she bears the insignia of…_ ' Arceus paused, unable to comprehend the sheer enormity of what was happening as Ash finished his sentence aloud, no longer caring if Clemont or the others heard everything they were discussing.

"Ash Ketchum Infinity, but I thought he was just a myth." He whispered in pure, unbridled astonishment. His eyes were as wide as saucers, yet there was no time to ponder this startling news or explain things any further to unknowing mortals, because someone new hit the scene. Ash saw Professor Sycamore glaring daggers at Amber as he pointed accusingly at her and displayed a level of anger that shocked them all. "Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, Brock, move away from that girl at once. _She's_ the reason all of this started. _She's_ the top admin of the new Team Flare."

XXXXX

After having lived for endless lifetimes and learning under the greatest Pokémon Master the Omega Omnisphere has ever known, Serena 9 by Infinity thought she had seen it all. She had watched her mentor and the man she loved go off to confront his greatest and most unstoppable adversary in their fiercest battle ever. She remembered being worried sick as he dashed off to do something long considered to be impossible, even by the omnipotent standards of the Omega Omnisphere Pokémon Champions. She also remembered when he sealed her away in that ZOF enhanced Void Ship, to ensure she survived the rewrite of Totality and made it through to the next one with her memories of her original life fully intact. She could remember feeling angry, hurt, and betrayed by his actions, but above all she was worried he wouldn't succeed and Omninoir would kill him. But she had also understood he wanted to keep his prized pupil safe, in case everything went to shit and he failed to stop Omninoir.

His feat made him a legend among ON members throughout the Ultra-Verse, and had gone against every fundamental law of the Double-O. That was the one set of rules thought to be unbreakable no matter how powerful one was. Yet somehow, Ash Ketchum Infinity had done it. Not only did he manage to recreate Totality, he was able to purge Omninoir Infinity's existence from the new Omega Omnisphere. Miraculously enough, he and Serena both survived the rewrite, and hopefully their fellow Double-O Champions would find a way to survive beyond the rebirth of all things. Now she was essentially a ghost, an Omega Omnisphere remnant so to speak. She still couldn't wrap her head around how different everything felt here in such small subtle ways but on a colossal scale. She was completely foreign and alien to this Double-O's ON, and as far as she knew her closest Extra-Omniversal 'cousin' from this Ultra-Verse was Serena 9 by 3; the very same girl who had wormed her way into Ash Infinity's heart.

Some members of the ON could retain traces of the other Omega Omnisphere through abilities such as logic manipulation, and it appeared that the Omninoir 1 Million of the new Ultra-Verse was one of those select few. The black hole he created managed to pull Omninoir Infinity from the previous Double-O's all-dimensional timeline, creating an Omega Omnisphere remnant of him as well. And since there was no counterpart to Omninoir Infinity in the new Totality as Serena started dubbing it recently, the new Omninoir 1 Million had collided with the new Serena 1 Million in an epic clash of the titans and created that all-powerful singularity.

Serena 9 by Infinity huffed in hyper-irritation, running a hand along the back of her neck and squeezing gently like Ash Infinity tended to do when embarrassed, nervous, or emotionally taut. She spoke aloud for the first time in a voice like and yet not like Serena 1 Million's. Her voice was the slightest bit deeper and a tad bit richer, even compared to her closest counterpart in the new UV, and these small differences were so subtle that they were almost imperceptible. "So new Omninoir 1 Million was able to smash a hole in fabric of the Double-O, rupturing it's barriers in the process. _Is that even a thing, the Omega Omnisphere Barrier_?!" She murmured uncertainly, amazed by the simple fundamental truth of life she was just now starting to understand. Even with all she had seen and done, despite seeing the birth of the Omega Omnisphere, and traveling infinite ages into its future along with seeing countless events in between, she was still learning.

She was honestly grateful that she still could, because the day she truly knew everything was the day she might as well stop traveling. But the rules just kept on changing, everything changed, including the Omega Omnisphere and its laws themselves. Serena 9BI came to the conclusion that the only true constant in the Double-O or any of its alternatives was change. This meant that even when she endured the occasional feelings of meaninglessness in her own life, she'd always find new ways to enrich the quality of her omnipotent existence. Knowing that everything changed and sometimes so drastically, clearly meant that _even_ if one lived forever then they'd never run out of things to do. She felt like Ash may have missed that somewhere, but it wasn't her place or her right to tell him how to live his life, and after everything he'd done and everything he'd been through... he didn't owe this Omega Omnisphere or any other sweet piss all anymore. Hell, he never did as far as she was concerned, but the fact remained that she needed his guidance still. Fuck what the Omega Omnisphere wanted from him, _she_ needed Ash Ketchum Infinity, and for a long time she had desired him to.

Sensing her pondering thought process, Arceus 9 by Infinity spoke up, his omnipathic voice resounding pervasively through her infinite mindscape. ' _There are legends surrounding the rarest of all pantheons, known as the Zenith Omnidonae Serena. Rumors say that they're able to rupture the Omega Omnisphere barrier as you call it and break the bonds of infinity itself. Perhaps one of them is responsible for Ash Ketchum Infinity's rewrite of totality. Perhaps that Man of Miracles Thomas Infinity we met had something to do with it, no one would doubt a Zenith Omnidony of his caliber could pull it off. Or perhaps the Zenith Omnidonae Force chose Ash himself to wield these powers because it recognized the similarities between him and Appaneesty. From what I've learned, the ZOF actually choosing a new Zenith Omnidony itself is rare, but it can still sometimes happen if someone accomplishes enough on their own steam to gain recognition from it. Although, Serena McIntyre may have helped him along. It was her who taught him to believe not only in the Zenith Omnidonae, but also introduced the idea to him that Totality could be rewritten to not include Omninoir Infinity in its continuity. That does seem like the easiest explanation actually_.' Arceus 9BI suggested a number of theoretical scenarios to explain their current situation as Serena sighed. ' _Yes, but if McIntyre were the one behind this she wouldn't have allowed Omninoir Infinity to survive as well, and for all his um... quirks, I don't think Thomas would have been so lenient with Omninoir either. Unless he knows something we don't and Omninoir Infinity is somehow a fixed point or something. But I've been down that particular avenue of thought before Arceus. It took me a long time to trust that girl and even now, I still don't like how close she and Ash tended to be, but I won't let my jealousy lead me to making unsubstantiated accusations towards her anymore._

 _Apparently, I don't have to worry about that anymore because Ash has fallen in love with my Extra-Omniversal doppelganger. And now I'm all alone trying to lead Totality's Champions in his stead. I still can't get what he said out of my mind, when we last spoke to one another back in the new 9 by 3 universe_.' Serena shuddered involuntarily, flashing back to when she had finally found the man she had looked up to for countless lifetimes. She remembered how horrified she had been when she found Ash Ketchum Infinity in his amnesiac state, but ultimately, she understood it was what he wanted, and she knew she had to respect his decision to start his whole eternal life anew.

She knew that the Ash Infinity she loved was still in there somewhere though, and she was right because after she left the 9 by 3 universe he came to find her. It wasn't that she couldn't fall in love with him all over again in his new state of being, but it was nice to know that not everything had been irrevocably changed. For only a few moments his almighty inner self came to find her, telling her that he was leaving the Omega Omnisphere championship mantle in her hands and that he had recently had a premonition. As much as he had once wanted to be the one for her Ash had held himself back, saying how there was someone else out there for her and that he would be a Zenith Omnidony but beyond that Ash didn't know anything more. Serena knew a right bit more about this mystery man than that, but she hadn't mentioned it to Ash. She still couldn't bring herself to fully believe it when he revealed himself to her when she first set foot in the 9 by 3 universe.

It was like a dream, running into Thomas Infinity that day when she had wanted to flirt herself up a guy who was willing to buy her a Gateau La Chocolat. Finding the first cute guy who generously offered her some of that chocolate, was how she and the enigmatic Zenith Omnidony met. She couldn't recall ever being as attracted to anyone as she was to Ash Infinity before she met this new guy, and amazingly enough he was the reincarnation of Appaneesty 726 himself, an older, more bad-ass, and infinitely experienced, Extra-Omniversal counterpart to the Man of Infinities she and Ash had looked up to for so long. It was then that she learned the true number of alternate Omega Omnispheres out there, not two or three, not even six like Serena McIntyre who was from 6 Omega Omnispheres prior to this one, but infinite.

Serena had followed him back to his mobile house and was astounded by the famous Pennington House, the brownstone of Totality's Mightiest Heroes for who knows how many versions of themselves. Finding out he was Appaneesty's doppelganger was fantastic beyond all measure and reason, but finding out he was dying and undergoing a regeneration/reincarnation process not dissimilar to the Avatar or Doctor Who was not quite as amazing. Serena couldn't remember ever being so concerned for another person's wellbeing, but he had reassured her that it was completely normal, even while every cell in his body were both dying and replicating at beyond infinite speeds. Appaneesty was part of her three-list that she and Ash agreed she could do anything she wanted with, and so it was with great pleasure that she asked this remarkable man to fulfill a longtime fantasy of hers. Especially when she learned he seemed attracted to her as well. He had brought her to his home for a reason, a reason she wished she knew yet nothing stopped her from having her wicked way with him. The two of them fucked like they had never fucked before, and it was by far the best sex Serena ever had. She could still feel the phantom orgasmic convulsions in her vagina just by remembering it. He left an everlasting impression on her, and that mark had pretty well spoiled her for any other male member of the ON or Zenith Omnidonae/Omeigon Pantheon.

That said, Serena 9BI didn't like to think she wasn't free to choose who she loved but after some of her visions of the future, Ash Infinity's own premonition, and her sexual encounter with Thomas Infinity/Appaneesty 726. She was honestly starting to believe in the concept of EST soul bonds. So while she'd been planning to forge an alliance with new Ash 1 Million and the others. Her first priority had been finding the present-day counterpart to the futuristic Appaneesty 726 she'd been so beyond honored to encounter. Now though, since she was in the neighborhood anyways, she might as well make a good first impression on the 1 millionth universe's Double-O Champions of Pokémon.

"Arceus, let's put our search for Appaneesty 726 on hold for now. We need a game plan to counter Omninoir Infinity's return and so far none of the other Omega Omnisphere champions have arrived in the new totality, though I have faith that they'll turn up. We need to form an alliance with the new Ash Ketchum 1 Million before we do anything else, because I think he'll be more agreeable than new Ash 9 by 6 if my memories of their previous selves are anything to go by. The sooner I gain some new allies the better our chances at presenting an actual threat to Omninoir Infinity will be, as well as anything else that may end up coming through the breach in the Omega Omnisphere barrier.

I still cannot believe that such a thing could even exist, but that singularity was a super massive hole in totality itself, and that's the only explanation I can think of. We need to monitor them further, because although they're stable there's no telling what else might end up coming through those breaches. In the meantime, I think that meeting new Ash 1 Million in our battling facility is the best course of action. We can set up the Battle Omnisphere close by the Battle Chateau here in this Kalos region, because that is right on the path Ash will need to take in order to get to his second gym match. It would give me the opportunity to see what I'm working with and how strong he is as a Double-O Champion thus far.

In the meantime Mew, I need you to scan the UV and by extension the rest of the Omega Omnisphere, for any sign of those breaches and give me the locale of all of them." Serena 9BI instructed authoritatively as the 4 feet tall, lithe catlike Pokémon answered her and Arceus via the unbreakable telepathic bond they all shared. ' _Sure thing Serena, um... exactly how do I do that?_ ' Mew wondered, ever the curious cat Pokémon as Serena pondered that question. "Just scan for any sources of energy that… I can't believe the words that are about to come out of my mouth, but scan for sources of pure energy that are completely foreign to this Omega Omnisphere. Visualize something like the concept of trans-dimensional energy or foreign matter except taken to a whole new level, infinitely more removed and alien than any breach in the dimensional barrier." Serena 9 by Infinity suggested as Mew got right on it and her trainer vanished in a loud crack of Omega Omnisphere displacement.

She reappeared on Route 7 between Camphrier Town and Connecting Cave further up while waiting for her Mew to finish scanning for breaches that spawned from the singularity. The long dirt road was mostly unoccupied except for the occasional traveler making their way either to the Battle Chateau further up or to Connecting Cave to get to the next town. There were wild Pokémon running all about, but apart from them, Serena was mostly alone save the pocket totality containing all her Pokémon that she kept by her side at all times and which moved with her. It was a little trick she learned from Ash Ketchum Infinity, and one which could contain an infinite number of people, places, and things.

Its interior dimensions were infinitely larger than the exterior ones and when not being used to summon her Pokémon, the tiny exterior of her pocket dimension zoomed about through the subatomic omniverse itself, every bit as tiny as superluminal particles yet infinitely faster. It moved through the subatomic omniverse at the invariant speed and never stayed in one place for more than a Planck instant. Luckily it always responded to Serena's call alone, and never failed to send her Pokémon through to help her no matter where or when in totality it was.

Using her omni senses and limitless perception to ensure nobody would see what she was about to do, Serena decided that very moment to summon one of the most important possessions in her pocket totality, the number one most unbeatable battling facility in the whole of creation. It was where the old Omega Omnisphere's Pokémon Champions earned much of their rep as totality's mightiest, at the height of their powers and careers. In a flash of blinding glittering lights, the Battle Omnisphere materialized in a mini supernova of pure energy. An enormous multicolored, orb shaped building with a completely frictionless surface stood where nothing but grass was only seconds before. The orb stood afloat a few feet above ground via an infinite amount of anti-gravitons that the Battle Omnisphere naturally generated, allowing it to remain completely weightless even when in the event horizon of a black hole which has been its location on more than one occasion.

It was somewhat larger on the inside than the out though was not as infinite as Serena's pocket totality, and a set of stairs leading up to the entrance came down directly onto the side of the road. One had to be at the very least a regional champion with six level infinity Pokémon minimum in order to compete, and Serena took great pride in the responsibilities Ash Infinity had bestowed upon her. She briefly wondered if she should search for any sign of old Ash 1 Million, who unlike his counterpart from this totality was at the height of his power and career during the final days of the war against Omninoir Infinity.

Given that he, old Ash 9 by 6, and their respective Serena's and Amber's were some of the top tier champions of the old Omega Omnisphere, Serena 9BI knew they'd prove to be infinitely invaluable assets in the endless fight against Omninoir Infinity in all of his forms. She had wanted new Ash 1 Million to meet his Extra-Omniversal doppelganger, and give him an idea of just how much farther he had to go before being at his true personal best. But more importantly, she knew she would need to convince him that everything she ended up telling him was true.

Given the fact that Ash Ketchum Infinity was ingrained in the new UV as such a legendary icon, it was going to be hard to convince anyone that the legends were not just legends. Even one as infinitely open minded as Ash 1 Million might not initially accept that one could become number one in the Omega Omnisphere at _anything_ , and given the fact that every fully fledged champion of the old totality was able to give Ash Infinity a run for his money that was probably truer than she cared to admit.

"Ugh, I need to stop rambling inside my own head, hey Mew, any luck yet?" Serena whined somewhat childishly as Mew chuckled inside her mind before finally replying. ' _Yep, according to my omni perception it seems there are a grand total of seven breaches in the Omega Omnisphere Barrier across the Omega Omnisphere. Funnily enough, they don't just exist in set points in space but also transcend time and exist in the past, present, and future of their locations. Get this Serena, one of them is in the 9 by 3 universe where you just were; I'm surprised you didn't notice it_.' Mew grinned telepathically, playfully admonishing Serena as the girl huffed and pouted her full pink lips while puffing her cheeks out. "Hey, I was distracted. I was a girl on a mission to remind Ash Infinity of who he really was," Serena blushed.

' _Anyways, moving on, the second breach is here in this universe. It's located in Vaniville town where the singularity originated. The third one is in the new 9 by 6 universe in its Sinnoh Region's Hall of Origin I think. The fourth is in the Prime Pokémon World of the new Ultra-Verse, in its Kalos Region I think. The fifth one is in the new version of the Pokémon World with Ambertwo/Myra Oak and her Pokémon lover Mega Mewtwo Z, who from what I can tell is well on her way to becoming an Omega Omnisphere Champion caliber trainer in this Totality, very much like her E.O. counterpart._

 _The sixth one is in an infinitely removed Pokémon World, and it is weird Serena, but it's a universe where the Ultra-Verse's mechanics are almost nonexistent and the people there have no lasting impact on the Omega Omnisphere's future. It is a seemingly small and insignificant version of the Pokeverse in the grand scheme of things if I ever saw one... and its mechanics are more akin to the Anime canon verse than the UV. So, I can't help but wonder why one of the breaches was drawn there_. _The seventh is outside of the Ultra-Verse weirdly enough, though I sense whoever is there is also destined to impact the Omega Omnisphere's future and I think we both know who that is_.' Mew recovered from her laughter to quickly finish filling in her trainer as Serena nodded and jotted all of these locales down in her mental list; glad to know that Rey's impact on totality's future wasn't one of the things that changed in this version of the Omega Omnisphere.

She knew that like his E.O. doppelganger, New Rey would prove to be as much as an infinitely invaluable ally. She hoped nothing too dangerous would come through that particular breach before Rey was ready to handle it. She had always felt particularly protective of Rey, since he didn't have the same mindset the rest of them did when it came to dealing with omni-shit as he liked to call it. She was also mildly intrigued by the sixth location but put it to the back of her mind for now. It wasn't likely that anything overly dangerous would come through that particular breach and if they did she made a vow to do everything in her power to protect that universe to the best of her ability, but for now she had much bigger fish to fry and so long as any of her all-powerful allies remained trapped on the other side of those breaches she absolutely refused to close even a single one of them.

' _I'll need to send one or two of you to closely monitor all of the breaches in tandem. If nothing too eventful happens at any one of them after a long enough while, you are most welcome to change locations but you'll need to alert me the instant you sense something coming through. I don't want any of you engaging any foreign Omega Omnisphere breachers under any circumstances without ample backup, so are there any volunteers_?' Serena offered the job opportunity as her mindscape was bombarded with thousands of telepathic voices overlapping and superimposing on top of each other as she decided to settle the dispute by picking her volunteers herself, unable to take the migraine all the different voices inside her head was giving her for extended periods.

"Alright let's see here, Mew, you can go since you have an idea of what the breaches are like and exactly where they're located. And as for my second volunteer, I choose you Serena Infinity Delphox, if anything goes wrong use your omnipotent transformation to get out and alert me as soon as possible." Serena instructed authoritatively, over the sounds and groans of disappointment coming from her all-powerful army of Totality Champion caliber Pokémon; her tone leaving no room for any further arguments as the protests and complaints fell silent and Serena silently promised to give all of her Pokémon countless opportunities to do battle in good time. She was glad that even though she had a vast army of some of the most powerful Pokémon in totality, she could still invest time in all of them due to her having all the time in the Omega Omnisphere and quite possibly beyond.

Mew and Delphox 9 by Infinity both appeared in two simultaneous flashes of multicolored lights, both of them brimming with calm confidence. Serena's Mew was different from the other members of her race in terms of appearance, her fur color a shimmering white tinged with ever-shifting kaleidoscopic colors much like Sonic the Hedgehog in his Hyper Chaos form. Her body was lithe with slender muscles and was far more curvaceous and elongated than the norm for her entire species. Her feet and legs which should've been like a rabbit's were instead more like a Cheetah's, allowing her to stand up in a full humanoid posture.

Her arms which would've normally been of as little use to her as a T-Rex's arms, were easily three times longer than the norm for her species and she got far more use out of them and her hands than should've been possible for the new species Pokémon. Her tail was over fifteen feet long, but aside from that, it was the same for her as any other Mew... ending in a slightly bulbous tip and perfectly prehensile among other things such as possessing limitless physical strength and constricting capabilities like a Divine Serpent with absolute raw power.

Delphox 9BI was Serena's starter and a seasoned veteran like no other amongst her species, even Ash Infinity's Delphox couldn't hold a candle to her feats and accomplishments over the years and like ' _Ash Infinity Greninja_ ' Serena's Delphox could achieve a new form with Omni type capabilities, an infinitely diverse move pool, and omnipotent godhood and divinity to boot. She didn't look much different from other members of her species though Serena had accessorized her starter with the Contest Star ribbon and an Omega Omnisphere Champion Coordinator custom made ribbon that Ash Infinity had made for her when she managed to beat his dancing Eevee in an unofficial contest battle and in her perfect form at that. Serena took great pride in this victory because many believed Ash Infinity's Eevee was the number one Pokémon contest star in all the Omega Omnisphere.

"Alright you guys, you both ready to begin the almighty tasks I have entrusted you with?" Serena asked them with passion, both of her Pokémon nodding in response, Delphox more briskly than her partner. ' _Of course Serena, I'm actually looking forward to it and hope something interesting comes out of those breaches_.' Mew promised her with perfect composure and indifference, almost seeming bored, not even the slightest care in the Omega Omnisphere. She had gone up against Omninoir Infinity himself in single battle on more than one occasion, yet she remained as unflappable and carefree as ever during the grueling grudge match.

Delphox merely nodded again, and Serena understood that no words needed to be spoken between them as both her Pokémon promised to stay safe and keep her posted, before vanishing in two loud cracks of Omega Omnisphere displacement AKA Meta teleportation. Smiling in self reassurance that those two would get the job done, Serena tuned into her omni perception to see what was going on in Lumiose city and decided that the time had come at long last for her to start getting involved. Making a last minute adjustment to the Battle Omnisphere so that the staircase went back up inside the entryway and the words _closed until further notice_ appeared on the impenetrably sealed dome and door, Serena 9 by Infinity disappeared into a wormhole connecting with every point in totality and opted to be a part of the action if only slightly.

While entangled with infinite realities, dimensions, and omniverses, a part of her was worried about new Ash 1 Million. And another part just wanted to be there to help. A third part of her was thirsting insatiably for action and craved some excitement for the first time in a good long while. The fourth and final part wondered briefly if she would ever find her place here in the new Omega Omnisphere, since even her indigenous 9 by 3 universe wasn't even hers anymore. Too much internal debate in her opinion, and so she appeared amidst the crowds gathered in Centrico Plaza without any further hurricanes of thoughts and emotions plaguing her only to materialize right in front of her 1 Millionth doppelganger from this Omega Omnisphere without meaning to… _oops._

XXXXX

It finally happened; Serena finally lost her bloody mind. As if watching from the sidelines while Sycamore went to Ash and his friends to warn them was bad enough, but now she was literally seeing double. She had been able to feel a foreign set of emotions she somehow recognized as Ash's and sensed he knew something about Amber the rest of them didn't. She wanted so badly to hear what was being said but was not allowed past the police blockade, and now she was stuck on the sidelines questioning her own sanity. It had been while observing Ash from a distance that she first glimpsed her double, and now her doppelganger looked mildly surprised as Serena's cerulean eyes locked on hers and nobody else seemed to notice the staring match between them.

Quickly looking like she was at war with herself about what to do about this situation, Serena's doppelganger disappeared discretely into the crowd as Serena followed after her without hesitation... having already recovered from the bad case of mind blanking syndrome that plagued her only seconds before. The revelations Ash was about to make were the furthest thing from her mind right now as the crowd between her and her lookalike parted to let her through while absently observing her childhood best friend.

She doubled her pace just as she saw her imposter disappear up Magenta Plaza, past the Pokémon center, and towards what she could've sworn was none other than Lysandre Labs. She looked back behind her for a second, and saw Ash and Amber looking awkward about something despite being over a hundred meters away, and groaned at her suddenly telescopic vision. She grew concerned about the idea of Ash being caught up with a bad crowd, but remembered her doppelganger, and steeled herself and prepared to follow the imposter. She was not expecting to see Shauna, Calem, and even the invisible Arceus making their way towards her, but she was glad she had some backup in case this impersonator was dangerous.

"Please tell me you guys saw what I saw." Serena desperately asked them, earning a mute nod from all three of them whom looked like they couldn't quite believe it, much to her immense relief. So, she wasn't crazy after all. She noticed Arceus looking especially shocked, in fact, she almost looked spooked. Looking at the Alpha Pokémon, Serena decided to ask her something that was on her mind.

"Do you think it could be time travel, like my future self or something?" she wondered, unable to believe this was her life now and that such maddening, impossible things were even cause for concern. Arceus shook her head.

' _No, Omega Omnisphere Champions such as yourself are singularities within the Omega Omnisphere. Crossing into your own timeline or creating a timeline remnant of yourself can have disastrous effects on the fabric of reality, possibly even rupture the Omniversal barrier. This must be a wholly separate version of yourself who got the Double-O Championship title, one who isn't part of the 1 Millionth universe's continuity at all. There can only be one Serena 1 Million at any point in time throughout the Omega Omnisphere, having two of you in the same time period and the same universe would herald unimaginable catastrophe,_ ' Arceus explained, causing Serena to furrow her eyebrows in thoughtful speculation as Calem piped up.

"What kind of doppelganger is she then if not a time traveling paradox waiting to happen, because she looked surprised to see us? Oh, never mind, if we keep talking about this we'll lose her so let's just get going already." Calem reasoned out logically as all of them agreed and Serena lead the way to Lysandre Labs further up Magenta Plaza where she saw her imposter disappear to.

"Why would she come here, this place is in ruins and nobody dares to tread here after what Team Flare did." Shauna inquired as Serena nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, nobody dares to come here and where better to disappear back to where they came from than in a place that is completely deserted.

Based on her expression when she first… materialized in front of me I reckon she didn't intend for me to see her and I'm guessing whatever means of instant transportation she used requires immense concentration in order to reach your destination. It is possible she was somewhat distracted when she teleported, or maybe she didn't know I'd be there waiting for her when she appeared in that exact place..." Serena hypothesized as both Shauna and Calem sweat dropped at their friend's obvious recent drastic increase in intelligence. Something had happened to their Serena recently and Calem reckoned it had something to do with Arceus and Omninoir. This whole situation seemed to center around the two of them, and their perpetual conflict of good versus evil.

"I really hope this isn't some kind of trap but we're not going to find anything out just sitting here so let's go guys." Serena instructed as she steeled her nerves and walked in first, her friends and Arceus following after her as the latter phased through the walls of the ruined café. Lysandre Café was overgrown with small trees, weeds, and grass and the entrance to Lysandre Labs was currently blocked, by none other than Serena's lookalike who cast a radiant glow through the entire room and was outlined in a shimmering, multicolored light that was concentrated most densely on the infinity symbol embroidered on the chest of her belly shirt.

Before Serena or the others could say anything her doppelganger spoke first, in a voice that was somewhat deeper than Serena's and brimming with pure energy as potent as the ungodly, unlimited powers she literally radiated with just her mere presence. "I'm sorry you guys for making such a stupid miscalculation. Trust me, that very rarely ever happens anymore and I guess I was more distracted than I thought. I never meant for any of you to see me and I apologize for what I'm about to do. Before you all ask, no, I'm not leading you all into a trap but I didn't want witnesses when I did what I was going to do to you. Plus, with Ash 1 Million so close by I couldn't risk exposing myself or my powers within his line of sight… not yet at least." Her double smiled somewhat sheepishly, as Serena and the others were blinded by a massive dome of white light and pure energy. When it died down and Serena regained the power of sight both Calem and Shauna were gone, and only Serena and Arceus were left to bear witness to the sheer power this woman possessed.

"What the hell did you do to them?!" Serena demanded in a mix of both terror and fury, stepping forward and prepared to rain down hell on her counerpart, but to her relief the faux-Serena held up a hand to silence her and quickly responded.

"They're both just fine, in the Pokémon Center up Magenta Plaza no more than a few dozen meters from where we are. They'll wake up with no memories of the past ten minutes and by then I'll already be long gone. But while we're all here we might as well talk Serena 1 Million, since there are forces at work in the Ultra-Verse you need to know about." Mirror Serena smirked confidently at the pair of them just as Arceus took the opportunity to say her piece. Serena did a double take at her double's perfect smile which was nearly identical to her own.

"First things first, who are you? Because, while I recognize the variation of the infinity symbol on your chest, I can't believe the person who first branded it actually exists." Arceus questioned with almost perfect composure as Serena stood there with a very _WTF_ look plastered on her face.

Mirror-mirror chuckled at her expression. "Ah, that is the question. I suppose I should start from the beginning, but we should probably buy more time so you can pick up your friends and go find Ash and the Professor before they realize you were even gone." Serena's lookalike said with supreme nonchalance, and in a voice like yet so not like Serena's it was very disconcerting. She was startled once again when the entire world gained a golden hue all around them and stopped turning. The movement of the entire planet and everything on it became eternally suspended in space and time, and Serena's mind went blank in response to what she was witnessing.

"I stopped time throughout the entire Omega Omnisphere. Everything that isn't a fully functioning member of the Omnipotence Nexus, is now stuck in eternally suspended animation until I decide otherwise. This included all of the mythical Pokémon of this world including the level infinity ones on both Ash and Amber's teams. And obviously, you're still here to Jewel of Life Arceus. Now we can talk in this time stopped totality for as long as we want and not have to worry about anything eventful or exciting happening while we're sitting here shooting the shit as the saying goes." Serena's clone or whatever she was explained before they could even think to ask what happened. Serena's mind just got seriously fucked by that explanation and Arceus simply chuckled at the theatrical display.

"Okay, so can you answer Arceus's question from before now? Who exactly are you?" Serena wondered, sensing that she was going to be in for a long explanation and bracing herself for the inevitable, as her doppelganger launched into a lengthy anecdote. As she listened to Serena 9BI's unbelievable life story and learned her name as well as some of her infinite experiences, Serena couldn't help feeling like everything she thought she knew was irrevocably lost to the void. Her view of the world, her beliefs, her preconceived notions, and even her newborn conceptualizations of the Omega Omnisphere and her destiny as a future Totality Champion, were immutably changed forever. One thing she didn't know, was whether these changes were for the better. She felt like she was waist-high in situations that she couldn't possibly understand, but any life with Ash, no matter how ludicrous, was better than no life with him at all.

XXXXX

_Back with Ash and Co._

Everybody visibly reacted to Sycamore's accusation in their own unique ways. Ash could hear Bonnie gasping, and Amber's Yveltal circling overhead while sending him a not so subtle message to do something. He didn't expect to have to explain Amber's story this soon, or in such an abrupt fashion, especially when Professor Sycamore brought it to light in such an indiscreet way. He knew he couldn't get angry at the Professor, who no doubt witnessed Amber flying off from his lab after seemingly receiving instructions from Lysandre, but he was mistaken in this case.

"Am I to take it you saw her and Lysandre together in your laboratory Professor?" Ash asked for clarification, and Sycamore nodded furiously while feeling protective of the man.

"I can't believe he's alive but I know what I saw Ash, Lysandre was once a close friend of mine but he was extremely dangerous. And worse, I saw Lexie here following instructions from him to fly off and find you, so she could try and win you over to his cause for a resurgent Team Flare. You, you were the new Team Flare admin responsible for those grunts and Froakie getting hurt, not to mention Ash's Raichu getting brainwashed into attacking him? WEREN'T YOU?!" Sycamore roared louder than he had ever done in his life as Amber visibly flinched at his tone. Ash sighed and rubbed his temples as Brock, Clemont, and Bonnie all looked on in confusion.

"Um... Ash, not to seem like I'm prying or anything, but how are you being so calm about this?" Clemont asked him while Bonnie clung to him for support and Brock locked gazes with his oldest friend.

"You knew." He deduced, and Ash nodded.

"I was going to tell you guys when Amber felt comfortable enough to share her life story and everything, but with Omninoir wreaking havoc and everything else that happened today there just wasn't enough time for me to fill any of you guys in. Long story short, Amber came to me after the message I sent back with her grunts and was very forthcoming about her role as the admin and how sorry she was Froakie and Raichu were hurt. She's been under duress by Lysandre most of her life, and was taken under his wing when he was a little girl. She knew what she was being forced to do was wrong, but when she tried to extricate herself, he threatened to kill her and basically terrified her into submission. She also had nothing to do with the mind control collars or any of the injuries our Pokémon sustained, that was all Omninoir, and I suspect him and Lysandre are in cahoots with one another.

From what she's told me, she's given her grunts specific orders to ' _borrow_ ' Pokémon from only willing individuals and clone them for Lysandre's shadow Pokémon army before returning the original to their Trainer. Even when forced to commit these atrocities, she tried really hard to lessen the impact Team Flare had on people and to do the right and moral thing. I can honestly say that I believe she was telling the truth and I trust her implicitly." Ash replied to all of them at once as Amber took it from there and filled them in on her life story, including what happened to her parents and how Lysandre found her and how she never trusted the convenient timing of his arrival. By time she was done, neither Sycamore nor Ash's friends had it in them to continue doubting her, the torn look in her eyes, the emotional tension in her voice, and her entire demeanor just spoke of her sincerity.

"Amber, please allow me to apologize for my behavior earlier. I admit, I may have acted rashly and didn't know the whole story." Sycamore said, his eyes downcast as Amber gave him a sad smile of understanding.

"There is nothing to apologize for Professor, anyone would have behaved the same way were they in your position, and I didn't exactly stick around to explain things on my end, but with Lysandre and Omninoir both there I knew I needed to report back to Ash about it. Plus, he makes me feel safe, which is a sensation I haven't felt in a very, very long time." Amber admitted the last part with a blush before Ash asked the obvious question.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

The auburn-haired beauty shrugged, "Honestly, I haven't the foggiest. This is the first time I've ever had options outside of Team Flare." She admitted with a shaky breath.

Bonnie's eyes lit up as a wonderful idea came to her, "Hey, I know, why don't you come and travel with us?" She suggested enthusiastically as Clemont and Brock both nodded in accord.

"That's a great idea, after what we all just went through together today, I can tell we're going to be an awesomely epic team." Clemont remarked with a zeal.

"If Ash trusts you so do I Amber, despite some people thinking he's naive he's actually a really good judge of character. And since he's the one your former grunts burned the most, he has the most right to feel animosity towards you out of us all. And if he doesn't, well, that's good enough for me. From now on, if you need anything I can help you with, well, Brock's your man." Brock promised her as Amber giggled before shaking her head.

"Thanks guys, but no thanks, if that offer still stands later on then I'll take you all up on it but for right now I need to figure out some stuff. No doubt I'll be branded a traitor now that I've officially defected from Team Flare, and even if Lysandre can't control me as omnipotently as I first thought he's still extremely dangerous. But I'm not alone Ash, I've got my Pokémon with me and I can finally have the Pokémon Journey I've always wanted to go on. I've always wanted to partake in gym battles and compete in the Kalos League, and my roster is the one good thing that came out of my being with Team Flare. I will course come running if you guys need me for anything, and I know you'll do the same for me, but for now right, I want to just take my time and enjoy my newfound freedom with just me and my Pokémon. This is all still so surreal." She responded resolutely as Ash nodded and beamed at her with a proud smile.

"That's a great idea, just remember you've got friends here and you're not alone Amber. You have your Pokémon, and you have your human friends as well." He sagely reminded her, and Amber nodded, her smile much happier now.

"I will remember what you did for me today Ash, and I'll be forever grateful for it. Thank you so much." She whispered, before she leaned forward and captured his lips in a violent, heated kiss he felt all the way down in his toes before pulling away. She had a shy smile on her face and looked down at her feet while blushing, then Yveltal swooped downward and scooped her up before any of them could even register the fact that he moved. A massive gust of wind later, and they were both gone as Ash stared at where they stood with a fond smile, still feeling the heat from Amber's sudden kiss and a jolt of pleasure shooting through his system in response to the open mouthed smooch.

"Well, damn! That was hot!" Ash found himself admitting, before another gust of wind blew in the vicinity and Amber returned while flying on Yveltal's back.

"I just remembered, I'm not really in the system and I can't try my hand at the Pokémon League without a Pokedex to register and a Trainer Card. So, would I be able to stop by your laboratory later Professor?" She requested of him kindly as Sycamore nodded without even hesitating.

"Of course you can Amber, I was just about to offer my lab up as a place for Ash and his friends to stay so you're very welcome to join us for a long, overdue sleep. I daresay we all could use the rest, especially after today." Sycamore offered, and Ash sighed in relief at the thought of food and rest, two afflictions that now very much applied to him since he became human again.

"Thanks Professor, I think I might take you up on that offer, but first I want to enjoy my Pokémon's and I newfound freedom for a little while longer." She said with a heart-stopping, worldly pageant winning smile as she and Yveltal vanished once more in another burst of gale-force winds.

"Well, today's been an eventful day, to say the least." Brock said, summing it all up in a nutshell as Ash and the others burst out laughing, the hilarity spawning from the sheer ludicrousness of the situation.

"You can say that again, I feel exhausted enough to sleep for a week but I think it's going to be nightmares from now on." Clemont admitted, knowing today would always haunt him just because of how many close calls they had. Everyone in the entire world could've died ten times over just the past few hours alone, and Bonnie looked like she agreed with her brother wholeheartedly.

"You get used to it guys, Ash always has a tendency to drag his companions into epic situations with legendaries and evil organizations. You should've seen him during the Sinnoh crisis with Cyrus and the supped up Creation Trio." Brock said, reminiscing on all the crazy times while Ash chuckled.

"So, about your offer to let us sleep at the lab?" He asked the Professor, who nodded with a smile.

"It still stands of course, you're all welcome to stay with me as long as you like. I reckon it beats a Pokémon Center's room in most cases, and Sophie and I can whip something up for you as well." Sycamore responded to all of them at large as Bonnie cheered excitedly and Clemont and Brock exchanged a smile, the both of them getting along pretty good since Ash introduced them.

"Since I'm tired and all, I'm going to call out Alakazam to teleport us to the lab. You best be bracing yourself Brock, unless you wanna walk all the way there." Ash smirked, knowing he was essentially playing on Brock's ' _too tired to care_ ' mood at the moment.

"Like hell Ash, let's get porting already." Brock declared with a fist pump. Ash nodded and drew the Pokeball for his second starter Pokémon, the Alakazam who brought him more victories than any of his other Pokémon. With the power to Mega Evolve and his Trace Ability set to the entire Ultra-Verse, the Psychic Fox Pokémon could copy any ability Ash wanted him to during battle, including Ascension Arceus's Original Powers.

"Ala...KAZAMMMM!" The godlike psychic type said in his typical overly enthusiastic fashion, and Ash could see Bonnie's eyes lighting up with childlike wonder as his starter floated above ground in a meditative stance.

"Ooh, it's so cute." She passionately proclaimed, while Clemont sweat dropped at his sister's antics.

"What Pokémon isn't cute to you Bonnie?" He asked, at this point, he'd be more surprised if she found one she didn't think was cute.

"It's okay Bonnie, just ignore Clemont and come say hello once we reach the lab. Alakazam may seem distant at times, but he's got a really warped sense of humor. I remember this one time he teleported all of Professor Oak's clothes away while he was doing one of his many presentations." Ash said, which got a laugh from everyone as Alakazam smirked almost imperceptibly before his red eyes glowed with a faint light and all of them disappeared with a resounding crack of Omniversal displacement, save Professor Sycamore who stayed behind.

He shook his head at the spot where Ash and co stood only seconds before, and smiled before pulling out a Holo Caster and dialing the number highest up his list of recent contacts. The phone rang a couple of times before Serena's face showed up on the holographic projection video and Sycamore could see Calem and Shauna bickering behind her in the background. "Hello Serena, just wanted to tell you that Ash and his friends are on the way to the lab, I'd imagine he'd be psyched to see you if you go there and meet him." He suggested slyly, grinning when Serena's eyes lit up with 10-years of pent up joy. She couldn't even speak and merely nodded before she closed the Holo Video in her excitement, and Sycamore laughed before deciding to take a Lumiose Cab home.

XXXXX

Serena ended the holographic chat with Professor Sycamore, unable to contain her absolute joy and excitement as she realized this was it. Ash was literally at the lab just a few blocks away from her, and after a very illuminating conversation with her 9BI counterpart, Serena had bared witness to Ash and Amber's departure from one another before watching him disappear with his friends via teleportation the same way she had. She still wasn't sure what to make of Ash and Amber's dynamics, and some small sector of her soul wanted to believe Amber was evil, that she and Ash's separation had been less than amicable, but it wasn't, and she'd just have to accept that. But still, she wasn't about to let that stop her, she'd heard what happened through the city's grapevine and knew Amber was striking out on her own for now. She'd have been more worried if her romantic rival opted to stay with Ash and his group, but no matter what she was determined to keep his attention on her.

This was the day she pulled out all the stops, where she stopped trying to deny her true feelings for Ash Ketchum, the most amazing person she'd ever known even despite meeting the greatest incarnation of herself there ever was just mere moments ago. It didn't matter to her that Ash wasn't the most important person in the Omega Omnisphere, because he was the most important person in it to her, and that was all that mattered.

She still didn't know how he felt about her. Even from this distance she'd had seen the kiss Ash and Amber shared, and it was astonishingly passionate for a guy and a girl who literally just met that very same day. Even if they were only attracted to each other physically, Serena still felt as though Amber could be considered a rival. She wasn't about to hold it against Ash for dating other girls because she was guilty of the exact same thing, having dated Calem and even harbored a crush on Shauna of all people at one point.

It was when she was crushing on her closest female friend that Serena realized she was bisexually curious at the very least, and quite possibly even full blown bisexual. That certainly came as a surprise to her when she found out but she wasn't about to complain, because while she had crushes on both guys and girls before she realized now that Ash was the only person on this planet male or female who would be able to make her truly happy. It had been what ended her relationship with Calem, the realization they both had about her, that she couldn't let go of Ash even though he was only a childhood crush or so she had believed. But perhaps Ash had meant more when he said ' _true friendship never dies_ ', perhaps he meant ' _true love never dies_ ', and frankly, she'd been in love with Ash since the day they met. She just didn't understand the full magnitude of her feelings until much later.

Wasting no more time, Serena walked off without so much as a word spoken to Shauna and Calem who were still fighting over Arceus knows what. And speaking of Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon was still floating along beside her in the halls throughout the Pokémon Center. She was transparent and invisible to all but her and her friends now, and her silence spoke volumes as Serena realized she was still seething at the spoiler her 9 by Infinity doppelganger made, about how she was destined to become one of Serena's most trusted Pokémon partners. Arceus grumbled and muttered something about completely unnecessary spoilers and trying to create asinine fixed points in Totality, and other shit Serena didn't understand. She opted to block Arceus's tirade out for the moment as she focused on Ash. She knew Calem and Shauna would make up in their own time and catch up with her later. She had already said where she was going and they could always call her on her Holo Caster if they needed a reminder. Serena had a one track mind right now, and that one track mind was telling her to go and see Ash no matter what.

She knew it was still a considerable walk to the Pokémon center and was surprised when she exited it only to find a Lumiose Cab waiting outside for her and Sycamore ushering her inside of it to sit beside him. "Come on Serena hurry up. I've arranged this as a surprise for Ash and I'd like to get to my lab as quickly as possible." Sycamore instructed her as he looked behind her for any sign of Calem and Shauna. "They're having a lover's spat back in their room, we had a situation while you were with Ash and his friends, and it lead to them being teleported into the same bed and waking up in it. They're currently accusing each other of getting fresh or something." Serena groaned in annoyance, wondering why in the hell her double had deemed it necessary to transport them into the exact same bed; and in a highly erotic looking position no less. Calem slept with Shauna's back pressed against his chest, her butt against his groin, and his arms snaked over and under her respectively and dangling atop her breasts. Clearly her doppelganger knew they liked each other just as much as Serena did but that was a bit too much, and seeing her two closest Kalosian friends in such an erotic sleeping position made for a very awkward ten minutes as Serena waited for them to wake up with no memories of what transpired. She needed to be careful how much of his she told Professor Sycamore though.

"I won't even ask how that happened, now come on, Ash is going to be so psyched to see you." Sycamore urged her excitedly, and Serena giggled at his enthusiasm and rolled her eyes before jumping in. She had barely put her seat-belt on, when the car had already reached the speed limit in a record amount of time and was weaving through traffic cars, and the more careless bike riders as the city started to go about their regular business... as though nothing had even happened. Serena knew that wasn't true though, because so much more had happened than most people could even fathom, but she supposed that to the untrained mind Ash's battle with Omninoir was just an epic battle between two all-powerful, enemy trainers, one of whom took control of of Sycamore's Garchomp.

Omninoir even had the look of a giant Mega Garchomp, so one could pass that off as Ash dealing with an out of control rampaging legendary which was technically true, and not so outside of the usual range for this planet. But Omninoir was a Legendary Entity like no other. He wasn't just some rampaging creation trio member or an Arceus with a legitimate grudge against humanity, he wasn't Mega Giratina whose totality manipulation powers kept the Reverse World and the human world in balance. Nor was he Primal Yveltal who embodied destructive omnipotence and helped protect the balance of nature on a cosmic scale. He was more vicious, more bloodthirsty than any of the mainstream Legendary Entities that governed the UV. Serena learned a lot from her doppelganger in a very short amount of reality-warped time, and in truth her head was still reeling from all she had learned.

Most important among what they discussed was 9BI's request, she asked Serena to let Ash know of her presence here once their journey brought them to Route 7 where the Battle Chateau and her own battle facility was currently located. She said it was where she wanted to discuss some things with her and Ash properly. She promised Serena she wasn't interested in stealing Ash away from her and had her own boy problems to contend with, for which Serena was extremely thankful. Because she wasn't sure she could handle any more competition especially not of her counterpart's caliber. She wondered if her double had her own version of Ash whom she was in love with, but after learning about Ash Ketchum Infinity she had a pretty good idea whom Serena 9 by Infinity was going to go for.

She was surprised when the car had stopped moving and jumped with a start as Sycamore called out merrily. "We're here, thank you Luis, here's your cab fare for both Serena and I." Sycamore stated, paying the cabbie out of pocket as he and Serena climbed out of the taxi while thanking the driver profusely. They watched him drive off into the busy intersections for a few seconds, before Serena turned around to see that not only were they at Sycamore's lab in record time but the lab itself had been instantly repaired by Ash's creation trio members just same as all the rest of the city.

Heart banging in her chest at a million miles per second, Sycamore ushered her on through impatiently as she started trembling with both excitement and nervousness. This was it, this was where all her years of suffering in his absence and hating her mom for forcing her to move all became so worth it. In the end, her love for Ash prevailed over all the insurmountable odds, over every single one of her other emotions, even over Omninoir himself. The absence didn't make her grow apart from him at all, all it did was make her heart grow ever fonder of him. Time may have healed some of her emotional wounds, but seeing Ash again would make all of the pain she endured completely worth it, this reunion was going to be mythical in its own right.

Checking herself to make sure her hair was still neat and even smelling her breath among other things, Serena knew this was it as she pushed past Sycamore and opened the door at an agonizingly slow pace. She didn't expect him to be right there in the entrance hall and was somewhat glad when she was right, since it gave her time to collect herself. A hundred different emotions were clouding her thoughts all at once, limiting her ability to think rationally and causing her frontal lobes primary functions to all but shut down. A thousand different scenarios for how this might turn out played inside her head, and she was getting anxious enough to cause her palms to sweat. Arceus had long since caught up to their cab, and was now floating invisibly behind them, her body partly through the front wall and above the door while her invisible rear end protruded through to the outside.

Despite the fact she had an Arceus floating beside her, Serena didn't feel anymore special by Ash's standards than she ever did, especially since he had the Original Arceus of the universe on his own team. Putting her foot on the first step and making her way up to the second floor, Serena was surprised when she instead heard sounds of laughter coming from outside in Sycamore's Pokémon ranch. Looking behind her towards Sycamore, his eyes lit up and he nodded at her encouragingly while indicating the back door on the wall nearest the flight of stairs.

Retracing her steps back down the first stair, Serena instead changed her direction and headed towards the backdoor she had been through many times before yet felt both terrified and thrilled to go through now. Her conflicting emotions were perfect contrasts to one another, the combined effort of their synergy enhancing each of their individual effects and the sum total of her personal emotional spectrum, to create a highly emotional Serena all around. She didn't know whether to feel angry, sad, scared, elated, or just so in love all at once, because frankly, each of her different emotions was as intense as the next and all of them were equal right now. After a small, excruciating eternity she finally opened the door to the Ranch and was rewarded with a glorious sight indeed.

She could recognize Bonnie and Clemont in a crowd of thousands, their yellow-blonde hair and identical baby blue eyes their trademarks not to mention their unique styles of clothing. Bonnie was playing with what appeared to be an Alakazam who kept teleporting away every time she got close, or moved so fast he created afterimages of himself in an effort to confuse and dazzle the energetic little girl. Clemont was sitting in the perpetually green grass working up a sweat on some new invention of his. Serena's eyes also took notice of the squint-eyed friend of Ash's with chocolate colored skin who was working alongside Sophie in the lab, and giving Sycamore's Garchomp what appeared to be a very thorough checkup and some delicious looking Pokémon food.

Finally her eyes landed on the very person she sought, and her breath hitched and caught in her throat when she did just like the day when she first saw him, standing up on that podium back at Oak's summer camp. Though looking at him now, she could instantly tell he wasn't the cute little camper boy he had been back then. Even with his back turned to her while sitting down she could see how tall he had gotten, back when they were kids they had been the same height but now he was at least a good head taller than her. She was around five foot four, but he had to be at least six and a half feet tall. Not only that, but his shoulders were broadened and he had taken his ranger's jacket off revealing the very same tea shirt with that golden infinity symbol she had caught a glance of back on the Television. He looked better than she had ever seen him; taller and tanner, leaner and more muscular.

He was sitting cross-legged in what appeared to be a meditative pose, and she seized this rare opportunity to catch him off guard as she started creeping up behind him. She was aware of both Bonnie and Clemont watching her, as well as the other guy but put a finger to her lips to shush all of them and not give her away. Bonnie nodded obediently, an eager expression in her eyes as Brock speculatively stared at her as though trying to figure out who she was. Alakazam paused to stare at her as the probable cause of Bonnie's sudden disinterest in him, his eyes widening in shock as though he somehow recognized her, which lead Serena to believe he was Ash's Pokémon. Ash must've have given his Pokémon a pretty vivid description of her if they were able to recognize her at a glance even after she had aged and matured ten years into a grown woman. She was a highly attractive grown woman who knew who she wanted, and was more willing now than she had ever been to fight for him, to make him hers.

Sensing what she was about to do, Alakazam smirked and resumed whatever it was he was doing, Bonnie chasing after him to keep up the appearance that Serena wasn't there but keeping one eye on her and Ash at all times. Time seemed to stand completely still like when Serena 9BI froze totality itself in suspended animation with a snap of her fingers. The world had stopped turning and seemed to consist only of Serena and Ash as she came right up behind him, watching as he hummed while still meditating... completely oblivious to her presence as she wrapped her hands around his eyes from behind him and decided to play a little guessing game.

"Guess who mister Pokémon Master." Serena cooed delightedly, reiterating her nickname for him with ten years of pent up fondness and reverence that she harbored for this boy. Granted, it hadn't been very clever, but she was only seven at the time she made it up. She nearly squealed in ecstasy when he stiffened in response to her question, and his perfect eyelashes fluttered behind her soft, smooth hands. She could literally feel the uncomprehending disbelief radiating off of him in palpable waves, her powers self-manifesting in limited doses in order to properly process and register the inhumanly intense emotions she was currently feeling right now.

"Your voice is different, yet something about it remains largely unchanged. Perhaps it's the fact I have an eidetic memory, and that I've always compared your singing voice and every other voice you used with that of some angelic goddess. Maybe it was the way you spoke my old nickname you gave me, boundless wonder, mixed, with a hint of concern on my behalf, yet with a sweet, adoring finish that makes me feel like I can walk on air, and redefine what's possible and impossible. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'd know your voice anywhere, anytime, at any point in the whole of creation." Ash whispered with such reverence and adoration that Serena felt like she would melt, and she didn't even think to resist when he gently grabbed her hands with his own and removed them from his eyes.

Recovering instantly as he waited for her to make the next move, Serena maneuvered around him, and knelt directly in front of him... blue eyes meeting impossibly gold ones as Ash's eyes lit up like a quasar and he gave her that big toothy grin of his that she had loved and missed so incredibly much. Seeing it again was like going back on her drugs after an agonizingly long withdrawal, and caused Serena's feelings to ascend to a painfully intense level as she waited for him to say something else. She always loved hearing him rant or just talk about anything in general, and now here he was staring her right in the face, and she knew quite certainly that she was the happiest she'd ever been.

"Long time no see straw hat girl." Ash whispered in a dreamy tone, looking like he almost didn't believe she was really here as he opened his arms to her, and she fell into his embrace without a second's delay. Warmth beyond anything she'd ever felt before pervaded her entire being as Ash wrapped her up in his muscular arms, and pulled her directly into his lap. The two of them were locked in an embrace that was ten fucking years in the making, and not content with the idea of letting go anytime soon. It was too much though, no matter how hard or how long Serena squeezed him, she just couldn't get close enough to release all her emotions in one. She knew she needed more than just a hug from him, she needed so much more than that from him and she was hell bent on getting it one way or another, but for now, this would have to do as they both continued to hug and support each other's uncontrollably quaking bodies.

"I missed you so much." Serena managed through clenched teeth, her jaws locking with the amount of tension she felt, as she tried to bite her emotional tautness away. She nuzzled and snuggled as deep and as close to him as she could, grinding and gyrating her hips against his pelvis without any awareness of her actions, grinding her whole body against him as tight as she physically could without hurting him too bad.

"I missed you to." He gritted out, amazingly just as tense as she was as both clung impossibly tight to the other like their very lives depended on it. Maintaining her death grip on Ash, Serena managed to pull her head away from his chest after several moments of listening to his beating heart, reassuring herself that he was in fact alive and was real. He was momentarily stunned when she suddenly punched him in the chest, making him reel back and wheeze slightly at the unexpected contact.

"Ouch jeez, what was that for Rena," Ash demanded somewhat indignantly, using another of her nicknames in his ire; only for him to stop mid-tirade as he got a good look at her expression and noticed the tears falling down her face. He immediately stopped upon seeing her heartbroken expression, legitimately considering it a crime of the Omega Omnisphere that anything sullies her perfect face. "What were you thinking going after Omninoir like that?! Do you have any idea how it made me feel watching you fight that monster... when I realized you couldn't stop your descent straight into the pavement moments later! You're bloody lucky you're still alive, you know that!" Serena exclaimed with a whimpering sniffle towards the end of her heartfelt admission as Ash immediately took her back into his arms, and whispered soothing words. He started rubbing her back comfortingly like he knew she used to love when they were kids.

"I honestly thought you were going to die before I even got the chance to see you again. I've never felt so hurt in all of my life Ash and I wanted nothing more than to be there with you in your final moments. At least that way we could have died together, but no, I was stuck in Vaniville town watching that horrific scene take place, and I was powerless to stop it, I was helpless. If it hadn't have been for my 9BI doppelganger, I'd have lost you." Serena immediately stopped talking and pulled away from him to cover her mouth, unable to believe she had just given away her double's identity to Ash before she was supposed to. 9BI told her and Arceus she was the one who had rescued Ash and the others from that fall, and restored Amber's Yveltal's godhood while chasing after whatever had possessed Ash's Primal Dialga. She hadn't been supposed to divulge that information to Ash yet, but she just got so caught up in her emotions that she just blurted it out loud. In truth she was more grateful to her counterpart than she could ever convey, and quite frankly Ash, Amber, and a whole lot of other people owed that girl their lives, if even half of what she said to them was true. Serena honestly wasn't sure how she could live up to someone like that, and all they've accomplished, but maybe if she just kept at it she might become _half_ the Omega Omnisphere Champion that 9BI was.

"I'm sorry I made you worry Serena, I really, really am. I guess I'm grateful to your doppelganger to. Well, that explains why Blaziken said our rescuer resembled you on some level. I knew it couldn't be you because your powers only manifest when _your_ life is in danger, or when the reason to manifest them is strong enough to you personally, such as today when I was falling to my apparent death." Ash whispered lovingly, as Serena nodded in agreement and fell straight back into his arms and resumed hugging him like he was her lifeline.

"I can't believe how much things have changed in just one day, I can't believe this is my life now, that I could ever be something so grandiose and over-the-top." Serena grimly said, and Ash nodded and smiled in pleasure as he held Serena in his arms and pressed her up against his chest.

"You get used to it eventually, or as acclimatized as anyone can ever be in our situation. I've been on this path for just over a year Serena, and I can say that while the dangers are absolute so are our ability with deal with them." Ash promised her. Serena sighed in his embrace, knowing that she needed to hear him make light of this situation they were in. "Does this lifestyle ever have a relaxed side to it, do we ever days off where we can just take it easy and rest, to love and laugh?" Serena inquired, legitimately concerned about the idea that every day could be as hectic as this one. If that was the case she honestly didn't believe she could handle it, but to her relief Ash shook his head no.

"Yes, it settles down at certain points. There were many days and evens weeks during my journey in Unova, where I could just take a lazy day off, and ease into the role I was expected to play. Hell, Serena today was the most hectic day I've had since I liberated Kyurem's unlimited form from Team Plasma, and battled him alongside Arceus in order to calm him down and capture him, which I did by the way. My point is even on the days where it seems like we aren't going to get through it all okay, so long as we never give up the pathway to victory reveals itself. In the end, we do face challenges equal to what we are currently and will be capable of in the future, as does anyone who is a member of the Omnipotence Nexus, but we'll always have everything we need in order to emerge victorious so long as we never give up. It is the qualities of one's convictions that determine success not the level of power one holds in the palm of their hands." Ash advised her with as much wisdom and consolation as he could muster, as Serena tightened her grip on him even harder.

"Oh God I've missed this. I've missed you so much Ash, and thank you for telling me all that. I know that we're knee deep in situations that mortals just don't understand, but so long as you're with me from here on out I don't care how impossible or inhuman the lives we lead will be, I want to live them with you. It's always been you Ash, no matter who else may have lurked in my future, you have spoiled me for any other man because I... I..." Serena stuttered and tripped over those three impossibly beautiful and heartwarming words she wanted to say so desperately yet just couldn't for some reason due to her nerves.

However, an encouraging smile from Ash was all the motivation she needed and she steeled herself. "I fucking love you God dammit. I don't even know why I struggled to say that at first. I'm in love with you Ash Ketchum. I've been in love with you since the day we met, I have never stopped loving you all this time, and I will continue to love you unto the ends of the Omega Omnisphere itself and beyond, do you understand me?" Serena whispered with such reverence and adoration that Ash knew she meant every word. He felt his heart soar into the highest heavens as both of them broke out in full body blushes. It was only now that Ash realized how close the two of them were, and how close Serena's breasts and other unmentionable body parts were to his own.

Struggling to control his arousal at her close proximity, Ash tried to let his mind wander as was perhaps his greatest superpower. Clearly, Serena had learned of her destiny before Arceus intended her to this morning when she first had that dream, and a conversation she shouldn't even remember, but alas it looked like Omninoir's presence here had rendered Serena's imminent destiny and godhood a necessity to the Omega Omnisphere. She had a lot to learn, before she was truly ready to fulfill her destiny, and Ash had a lot to teach her in a short amount of time. He also knew he needed to focus on getting gym badges because despite everything else, he still strived towards the world championship title his missing father prized. Something told him that the path to becoming a fully fledged Omega Omnisphere, laid in defeating his old man. Hopefully, once this war with Omninoir was over, he could battle just for fun like he used to in the good old days. Deciding he should say something to her declaration of lavished devotion and undying love towards him, Ash cleared his throat upon noticing how dry it was and how parched he had become.

"With you here I'm not in his situation alone anymore Serena, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you to, believe me when I say my feelings for you are as infinite as my powers as a Pokémon trainer. Since the two of us are technically fixed points in totality and destined to live forever, I'd say we're going to have a lot of time to spend together. So don't believe for a second that we don't have the capacity to survive unto these aforementioned ends you speak of." Ash chuckled lightheartedly, as they both locked eyes and Ash felt other pairs of eyes on the back of his head. He realized his friends were watching them both from afar, but giving them some much needed space.

Smiling in ecstasy, Serena closed her eyes before finally doing the one thing she so desperately craved, for as long as she could remember; she kissed Ash with everything she had and more. The Pallet Town wunderkind sat there in complete immobility as Serena's soft, pliant, full pink lips made contact with his, and his brain proceeded to explode from the level of intoxication and overpowering pleasure he felt surging through every subatomic particle in his body. He lost himself completely in the lust, the heat, and the indescribable pleasure he felt as Serena leaned into him harder and pushed him down backwards into the grass, with her laying on top of him. Her lips never left his for a second, and Ash forgot everything he knew and was enveloped in the sweetest, most blissful sensations he'd ever felt.

His entire body ached for her insatiably, longed for even her gentlest touches and sweetest caresses with an unquenchable thirst of desire. This wasn't some cute, attractive girl he barely knew who got him horny and excited like with Amber. This was the love of his life, who so subtly reminded him of the immense difference between casual sex and making love; who was the only one who could take his pleasure and satisfaction to the ultimate level, to his infinite limits. This was euphoria in its purest, most omnipotent form, Serena was an almighty goddess and he was her transcendent angel, worshiping her body and soul as she enticed him away from everything, and everyone else he had ever known. Even Amber's kiss earlier hadn't induced this level of intoxication or paralysis inside him.

She never pushed too hard, never went beyond the gentle touching of his lips with hers, nor did she make haste to deepen the embrace. She simply kissed him with a closed mouth, almost as if inviting him in to make the first move, or simply content with the way things were. Not that he would've tried to stop her from going further at this point, because right now she had absolute power over him. The Omega Omnisphere could've been blinked out of existence by a resurrected Zeneptron, and he wouldn't have cared... he wouldn't have cared about anything except for the loving woman with a firm hold on his mouth. He would've given her anything and everything he had, all his power, knowledge, and even his Pokémon, just for her to never end the mind blanking kiss she bestowed to him.

Unfortunately for both of them, the need for air eventually became too great and as all-consuming as the kiss had been, it fortunately didn't rob them of their survival instincts... though Ash was going to have to do something about that when he regained his powers and adjusted them accordingly. They broke apart with great reluctance, staring into the endless emotional pools of the others eyes as Serena blushed and smiled shyly at him, and he took a breath of air that paled in comparison to the taste of her lips yet was necessary for him to survive now that his powers were gone.

They tried to find the words to accurately convey the amount of enjoyment and satisfaction they got from that kiss. All that could come to Ash's infinitely brilliant mind was "Wow." Whereas Serena said something along the lines of "Uh huh." "My God Serena that was amazing! How long have you felt this way." Ash wondered with curiosity. "Since the day we met, though I didn't really realize what my feelings were until the day I... left." Serena whispered, hesitating to say the last word as Ash brought her back into his arms for like the tenth time tonight. He could never get enough of holding her lithe, well endowed, curvaceous form in his arms. He couldn't believe just how much his straw hat girl had grown up, or that she turned out more beautiful than the older version of herself he imagined in his dreams. He often wondered how it would feel to hold her in an intimate way, to feel her lips on his own as they met for a passionate kiss as they did today. Well, he didn't have to wonder anymore, and the actual thing was so much better than the fantasy, times infinity.

Admittedly, there had been a void inside him ever since Serena left, but now that she was back in his life, and with him for better or worse he felt like he could finally start to put that horrible day behind him. "Serena you have nothing to be sorry for. If anything, our absence has just made our hearts grow fonder of each other. These things happen for a reason and while some people might think we're taking our reunion a little bit fast, we could also argue this is ten freaking years in the making. I've felt the same as you have for as long as you have, and believe me this reunion is just as joyous for me as it is for you.

I am just... so beyond words I can't even cope, and trust me that is no easy feat because I've got infinite languages and an almighty lexicon at my disposal. Although those particular abilities might have dissipated on some level as well now that I think about it." Ash rambled in that seemingly smug manner that made him sound like he was every scientist's dream. She knew he wasn't actually arrogant or grandiose in the slightest. That was just his speech pattern and the way he talked. After getting to know him a little, she knew he was surprisingly modest. His ability to prattle on about nothing, had eventually grown to be endearing to her and became just one of the many countless things she loved about him.

Serena giggled while listening to his speech and her heart soared once again, as he basically told her he was willing to go as far as she wanted into their newfound relationship since technically they'd been waiting for this for ten years. As much as she wanted to take Ash and make sweet love to him like her life depended on it, there were other people and Pokémon watching right now and she still hadn't properly introduced herself to Ash's human friends or his Pokémon yet. So for now, she'd have to make do with cuddling and the occasional kissing session, as she sat here in his lap more comfortably than she had any right to.

Sighing reluctantly when she realized she'd have to get up soon and acknowledge everybody else, Serena moved to get up and was pleasantly surprised when Ash stood up with his arm around her and lifted her up with him. She gave a squeal of delight as he picked her up and carried her in his arms bridal style, and with little to no effort as he made his way towards Brock, Alakazam, and the others including Raichu who had taken over playing with Bonnie. The younger girl stopped during a game of tag to see the pair of them making their way over.

"Hi you guys, sorry about the long wait I was just getting... reacquainted with my closest childhood friend." Ash chuckled at the deliberate hesitation he made before the word reacquainted as Serena blushed to the roots of her hair. "Oh yeah, we saw you two alright, kissing each other like there was no tomorrow." Bonnie giggled at them teasingly as Clemont smiled and Brock gave Ash a thumb up. "Way to go buddy, you finally found the one you've been searching for. I take it you're Serena then. Ash has told me loads about you, the name's Brock by the way." Brock introduced himself stoically as he reached out a hand and Serena shook it in earnest.

"Nice to meet you Brock, and what exactly did he say about me." Serena couldn't help but wonder as she waggled her eyebrows at Ash teasingly. Brock burst out laughing, "Oh nothing but good things, I can assure you. The way he spoke of you, it was like you could walk on air. If you want to know what he said, I suggest you go to the source and ask him yourself." Brock smirked as Serena turned her attention towards the rather flustered looking Ash as everyone shared a good natured chuckle at his expense.

Bonnie decided that very moment to throw her arms around Serena, before looking up at a girl she'd been friends with ever since she was little. "You remember me right?" Bonnie couldn't help but ask in the cutest baby voice she could manage. Serena giggled and ruffled the 9 year old child's hair a little, earning an indignant huff from the girl as Serena poked her tongue out at her. "Of course I remember you ya big goofball, how have you been Bonnie... man are you ever getting tall. And Clemont, great to see you to, been working hard as gym leader I'd imagine." Serena exchanged pleasantries all around as Sycamore and Sophie watched them interact with kind smiles.

Just when Serena thought this day couldn't get any better, it did... for the next moment, she was approached by none other than two of Ash's Pokémon, namely his Alakazam and Raichu. "Hi guys, yep this is her, meet Serena Yvonne, AKA straw hat girl, AKA Rena, etc, etc." Ash introduced, indicating his two starters as both of them peered at Serena curiously. Serena gave them a dazzling smile with closed eyes, "Hi you two, nice to meet ya." She greeted them kindly, causing both of them to blush, as Raichu continued to stare at her with what appeared to be utter fascination. It was almost like he was trying to convince himself she was real, like she was really here and with his trainer for the first time.

"Raichu, Rai, Rai." He chirped, and with that he jumped right into Serena's arms. She nearly toppled over from the unexpected weight as Ash's electric type starter climbed to her shoulder, and nuzzled her cheeks with squeals of delight. Serena felt blessed by the warm welcome Ash's Pokémon were giving her, and wondered exactly how much he had told them about her. If her welcome was this warm from just two of his Pokémon, she wondered what all the rest of them would think, and surprisingly she found she cared a great deal about their opinion of her because their opinions were doubtlessly important to Ash.

She wanted them to think she was good enough for their trainer, and seeing and feeling just how strong and muscular Raichu's body was for the first time, Serena wondered if she'd ever be the kind of trainer Ash is. She found herself hoping she'd be good enough for him in the long run, because she wasn't keen on the idea of sharing him with anyone, or letting him go anytime soon. She'd just got him back for Arceus's sake, letting him go now was simply no longer an option, and frankly, she was done being afraid of her feelings and just plain done with her lack of self confidence. There was a reason she was meant for this Omega Omnisphere Championship mantle thing, and if the Omega Omnisphere thought she was good enough well then that was good enough for her. Besides, Ash seemed to think very highly of her, and he had always been a great judge of character. So, even if she couldn't believe in herself just yet she was content to let him believe in her.

"Aw Ash he's so cute, I love you to Raichu." Serena gushed fondly as she took Raichu into her arms with a surprising level of strength, and held him in one arm while petting along his back and tail with her other hand. She was surprised when he gave a squeal of delight from her petting his tail, and Ash explained to her that Raichu loved having his tail touched. Serena took note of this, and proceeded to carry him in her arms as Ash stretched and yawned in pure exhaustion. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted and could do with a good night sleep, what do you say?" Ash suggested as Bonnie yawned a few seconds later and Clemont took the initiative.

"Actually, I'd better take Bonnie to bed now that you mention it. It's past 9 PM, and my dad wouldn't like it if I kept her up past her curfew." Clemont commented, and like the good older brother he was he took Bonnie's half asleep form in his arms and guided her to the bedroom Sycamore had arranged for them. Brock meanwhile, looked like he was still wide awake as he decided to let Ash know of his plans. "I think I'm going to cook something up for the Pokémon and myself, and maybe you guys if you think you can stay up long enough Ash. I know you're tired, but think of how long it's been since you and I used to swap kitchen duties. I bet you miss some of my cooking am I right." Brock reminded him somewhat smugly as Ash smiled at the memories.

"Yeah we've had some crazy times eh." Ash chuckled reminiscently as Serena wondered not for the first time just how much of Ash's life and journey she'd missed. She was overjoyed he not only remembered her, but seemed to retain all of his best quirks from when they were kids. The fact remained they had so much catching up to do, and Serena hoped she'd be able to create just as many fond memories with Ash, as he no doubt gained from years of being on the road with Brock. No matter how many other friends he had traveled with, or encountered on his still ongoing journey, she was determined to be the best. "The craziest, hey Serena, did you know this guy over here..." Brock said, pointing at Ash as Ash blushed profusely at both of their gazes. "Was involved in over a dozen end-of-the-world scenarios concerning legendary Pokémon; Ash has saved the world from floods originating from the Orange Islands, helped a baby Lugia reunite with his mother when they were both captured by Team Rocket, battled Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre in the Cave of Origin during a crisis in Hoenn as Team Aqua and Magma set them both loose on the world. He's even saved the whole of creation from Primal Palkia, Primal Dialga; captured Giratina in its mega evolved form which hasn't been seen since the dawn of Sinnoh. And from what I heard from Cilan, he even saved this Omega Omnisphere he keeps prattling on about from being flash frozen, compliments of the original Dragon of Unova and the leader of Team Plasma." Brock bragged on Ash's behalf, causing Serena to stare at him with a newfound level of awe and incredulity, as the love of her life blushed heavily from her staring.

Quickly recovering, Ash elaborated on Brock's statement. "First of all, I couldn't have done any of those things without my Pokémon and human friends supporting me. Secondly Brock, the last bit was particular scary for me because Unlimited Kyurem's rampage and his almighty freeze abilities can hurt and kill even omnipotent beings. Nothing can survive negative infinite degree ice, not even me." Ash rambled once more, caught up in memories of some of his most desperate times, and feeling surprisingly nostalgic. He wasn't kidding when he told Serena that today had been the most excitement he'd had in months. In all honesty, he kind of missed it.

"Ash! you're amazing! You've saved so many lives and yet you share almost all of the credit." Serena cooed, giving him a radiant smile with perfect teeth, as Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Brock decided to embarrass Ash even further by saying something else. "Did you tell her about your keepsake, your precious good luck charm for every major battle you fight?" he chuckled questioningly. Serena was curious now as Ash blushed an even deeper red than she would've thought possible, and he tentatively reached into his backpack and pulled out the item in question before showing it to her with an expectant glance.

Serena gave it an once-over as she realized she was holding a spectacularly unremarkable pink ribbon. "I don't get it Ash, what's so special about this... Oh my God!" Serena blanched, the memories of this very same ribbon returning to her with the equivalent force of a two ton truck as she held it gingerly in her hands. "Is this..." she faltered, beyond words right now as Ash mutely nodded. "You kept it all this time?! It doesn't look any different, there's no wear and tear, it looks brand new!" Serena stammered as Ash hastened to explain.

"I used my abilities to cast an eternal preservation spell on it for lack of a choosier way of putting it. I also regressed it temporally because it had seen some mileage in the years prior to my deification. That's why it looks brand new, but I wore that thing to every major battle I fought; every gym match, every league tournament challenge, and every champion league tournament match, everything Serena. You were there with me in spirit throughout my entire Pokémon journey, every milestone, every hardship, every joyous occasion, and everything else beyond that." Ash declared with a surprisingly steady voice, as Serena felt herself tearing up with sheer joy. She quickly brought out her own keepsake from their time together, and Ash's eyes widened in immediate recognition of the very same handkerchief that brought them together. Unlike his, Serena's faded to a lighter blue but beyond that, he couldn't even tell she had been wearing it all this past decade.

"You kept it?!" Ash repeated in shock, and Serena laughed like she couldn't quite believe he would ask something like that. "Of course, I did, you lovable dummy. It's the symbol of our friendship; it's what brought us together even though we met and spoke before it. It wasn't until you patched up me knee, and told me to never give up until the end that I realized I'd found the closest friend I'd ever have. And recently, this handkerchief has started meaning so much more to me than mere friendship can ever hope to convey. I love with what this monument represents between us Ash and I am absolutely head over heels in love with you." Serena admittedly unabashedly, shamelessly; not even caring that Brock was there and could hear every word she said. She'd shout it to the whole damn Totality if that's what it took to get her point across, and she was rewarded for her forwardness when Ash gave that same toothy grin she remembered from their childhood.

Brock chose that very moment to pipe up before things got any cuter and mushier between those two. "I take it you guys want some of my famous no chew stew, or are you still too tuckered out?" Brock teased. He got his answer when both of their stomachs gave a mutinous rumble. Ash chuckled and put his arm across Serena's shoulders like they were already best buds again. "Sure, why not. Bedtime can wait, and I'm hungry enough to eat a Tauros to, so lead the way old Brocko." Ash chuckled in a good-natured manner. Brock did exactly that, and lead the pair of them back inside the laboratory and up the flight of stairs to the second landing.

"You guys wait here while I go find the kitchen. It will give you two some time to catch up, and maybe snuggle some more before dinner is ready. Oh, and Ash..." Brock said as they reached the guest room and Ash stopped at the door to acknowledge one of his oldest traveling buddies. "What is it Brock?" Ash queried, causing Brock to repress a grin. "Don't do anything I would do, and definitely don't do what I wouldn't do, if you know what I mean." He suggestively stated, waggling his eyebrows at the pair of them. Ash slammed the door in his face with an embarrassed smile, while ignoring the peals of laughter echoing down the hall.

Facing Serena, Ash took her by the hand and lead her over to the couch... they had the guest room all to themselves and given the approximate half hour or so it took for Brock to make his no chew stew, he knew there was lots of time for him to do more than simply bring Serena as up to speed as he could manage in that time-frame. As though sensing his mind, Serena smiled up at him shyly, and brought him in for another kiss as both teenagers became enveloped in a blissful oblivion... and enticed each other away into the seventh level of heaven and beyond. Was it too soon for them to be engaging in this manner? One might think so but could also agree that this was just ten years of pent up passion desperately craving release. One tangible thought passed through both of their minds in perfect sync, as they continued to test the previously untested waters of their very new and very real relationship. ' _Totally worth the wait_!'


End file.
